Grub Worms

Ew. YUCK! So I was new to gardening like I was new to being a homeowner and in planting new garden beds I came across these creatures. I thought they must be good for the soil, helping aerate or such and was tossing them back into the beds. When my husband noticed he told me right away they were bad and after that (I'm a wuss) I was too afraid to TOUCH the things because they weren't "good." LOL.

Well, I was reworking the dirt and mulch around my red maple about a year later, moving some solar spotlights on it and adding some flower bulbs around the tree when I came across 2 grub worms. I kid you not, they were sooooooooo huge it was beyond disgusting. They were each about 3" long and about 3/4" WIDE!!!!

I made sure they didn't make it back into my dirt. I know there must be a safe miracle grub treatment you could suggest but does anyone really have a horror story of them irreversibly damaging plantings you've had? I can only wonder since they were so fattened on the roots of my tree what delay they may have caused in the trees growth.... Also, do these things live in all parts of the US?

Did you know that most "grubs" are the larvae of beetles and that beetles make up one of the largest groups? It could be guptillions of things, but it is most likely one of the common ones. I think (I will have to look it up for sure) that there is a Bt (A bacterialogical) pesticide for them. (Along with a vary effective soil drench pesticide) I have not heard of them creating terrible damage, more often it is the mechanical damage of skunks and such scratching, digging, and hunting them down.
Then again, it could be a moth larvae, and I could be up too late to think strait...

One thing I do know rock solidly, is that Identification is the first step. (Heck it could be beneficial, eh?) Common things are easy to do, as this probably is. Can you post a picture?
K. James

Lordy, if just one of my hens had been around when you were digging those grubs up...

It isn't so easy to identify grubs, but you could bring one or two to your local extension office. Did your area have a problem with Japanese Beetles last year?Here's a pic of the JB grub (scroll down). http://homeharvest.com/milkspore.html
(I know nothing about that company but they had great photos of the pest)

I didn't think there was a Bt for the JB grub but if there is I'll be very happy. I have heard good things about beneficial nematodes, and milky spore (love that name).

WOW. thanks for the tips already! sorry james, don't have ability to post pics. =(.
But Zeppy, it does look like the Japanese Beetle grub pic you posted!!! EW!

I am new to the area so I don't know much about the problems of pests here. Mostly I just don't want to be touching them when working in flower beds, so now I use hand tools and til gently first to make sure they aren't there. I really haven't dug up many since last summer when we put in the beds. They kinda disappeared, so I thought. Until working around the dirt of my red maple, about 10 feet from the flower bed and saw those 2 HUGE horrible creatures.

Chickens love them, eh? I would like to see if my area has any restrictions on having a couple in my yard but am sure that'd be a no.

We did buy a sponge of supposedly 1 million nematodes from HD (home depot) this spring and put them out. Be glad to see if they have an effect.

Oh, you don't want chickens destroying your flower beds. My hens can completely unearth a ten-year old flower bulb in about 2 seconds. And I have to warn you that touching those grubs will be the least of your worries if they are J.B.s and start eating everything in the yard down to the nubs. Have you asked the neighbors about last year's beetles? That should give you a hint. I was just now re-digging the bed for the sunflower 'house' and found about 30 of the little freaks; the chickens enjoyed them. Hope those nematodes work against J.B.s .

Zeppy,

Neighbors would be at a loss as well! It's a completely new subdivision that used to be vacant land. LOL, nice tip about the chickens and flowers! I had no idea!

Just put a pink scarf around his little head and give him a hug. Grubs are the babies of all of the balance in our gardens. They become some of the most wonderful sources of joy that we have in life just by growing up and flying around and carrying all the nectar in the flower world. Also they burrow down and convert all that plant material into loam, then they squiggle around in the soil to airiate the ground and finally they molt into a beautiful aphid eating meateater who keeps my garden in balance. Oh if you see them on a leaf at night or in the vegetable garden tomatoes just burrowing holes just pop them on the barbie and feast on what the garden creates in the form of protein. Ahh even the birds of the field go without worry about their next meal!

Um, I kill every grub I find.

LOL! Me too billy!!!!

Hi Alamo! how's the little one to be?

Billy,

You are SOO sweet to remember let alone ask! Thank-you! Well, I suppose I should consider it a blessing every day that I know they are alive and well because I am sick every day now. Today it was twice a marathon run to the bathroom. Owwww. =) At least I have about 30 minutes warning, it helps when out in public and I can run to the restroom as I did at the grocery store today. I see my doc soon so I can finally determine a due date.....am hoping this illness subsides with the start of the 2nd trimester.......I have so much more respect for women and the ability of the female body to carry life!


This message was edited Jun 2, 2006 2:56 PM

Hang in there, Aimee. My morning sickness usually started melting away in the 2nd trimester, but every first tri I would think, "never, ever again." The little schmoos do have a way of making up for it when they arrive, though. Congratulations!

I agree w/ soferdig that grubs have their place in the balance of the soil. Last year's heavy JB infestation, however, tipped that balance, and I am bringing out the beneficial nematodes this year.

So nematodes actually work against these suckers? YES! I did buy some but it will be interesting to see if their is a decline of grubs in the garden.

It is fun and important to learn what the grub is going to become and its lifestyle. Then you can eliminate or encourage it. I always kill crane fly larvae but never yellow jackets. By the way I ariate the lawn in april and Iook for crane fly larvae in the plugs cause I rake them up and put them in my compost pile after soaking them in a big cat litter tray to see if there are any grubs. Kind of fun to see what is in your soil. Oh I then top dress the soil with peat and Milorganite fert.

I have heard ariating is sooo good. I don't have the equipment to do it but I've seen these garden shoes with spikes. Assuming they would help some?

I bought a cheap plug poker that drags behind my lawn tractor and use it each year. It cost less than $50 from a return to Sears in their clearance section. But I had a huge back yard that had a bare 6 inches of sandy loam and no grass over the drain field and now is 8+ inches of black loam with great composition. I drive on it often hauling my bolders and rocks and have wrecked it 4 times placing beds and rocks so it has been reseeded about 5 times. The airation I feel drives the soil growth and mulching overlay to a deeper level. Oh it is fun too. I then follow the plug removal whith my lawn sweeper and collect the plugs.

You do have one of the best looking landscapes around! How did you get into gardening? Was it important to your family growing up? I had no one to learn it from and am learning solely from DG and gardening TV.

I got into gardening after I was 30 years old. Just living in Seattle allows for a lot of mistakes that correct themselves. So15 years of gardening I moved to Montana when I met my wife and we are both addicted and spend our entire life out in the garden (when we aren't working). We are well known at every nursery from Great Falls to Seattle. We take our weekends and shop all summer at nurseries on our canoe, camping, hiking etc trips all around the Rockies and NW area. We bought this property for the soil and potential for a big garden and lots of potential with all the hardscape available here. I just took advantage of every rock, plant, native plant and what ever and when I bought it I then studied and learned how to make it thrive or die. I killed a lot of out of zone plants just wanting some of my favorites from Seattle to move with me to Kalispell. My family never gardened and still doesn't this day. They all have me come in to design and plant and whatever their garden areas. I love to work and gardening is very good for my diabetes so I keep designing. As a veterinarian I don't get to be too creative so I let my creative instincts go in the garden.

Hi Aimee, Twins? Oh my gosh! That is so exciting! My second Grandchild is due in September. Again, Daughter has underlying nausea. She had it the entire 1st pregnancy. I hope you weather it well!
Soferdig, you've given me a different way of looking at grubs. We get so wrapped up in seeing the pest side, we don't see that everything has it's place. Thank you.

Billy. Oh no I didn't mention twins. At least on DG. I hope this isn't a premonition! Oh my gosh. My mom and MIL have both had dreams about twins....mom dreamed of twin girls but never had them and my MIL had a dream of me with twin girls long before we were even trying to have kids. And I just wrote a friend an email mentioning how limited I would be if it WERE twins and then I read your posting! Oh gosh. This is too weird! I guess I'll know soon enough. =)

Hmmm, that is funny. I reread your post about being glad they are alive and well. You definately have to let me know for sure now! This is very weird because I have been on a streak of things I think about, ending up being true. My daughter wants another boy, so I have only thought about her having a boy. I'm not given to premonitions. I just seem to be in a twillight zone. Laugh!

MY BAD! Hehe. I reread that seeing it exactly as you did and was going to edit it but I guess I meant "they" as in boy OR girl since I don't know which it is yet. Didn't even realize It'd come out sounding like twins! But I am counting my blessings on it because I've seen a lot of people go through miscarriage. Funny how I messed up this grub thread with talk of babies? Wonder if there's a good thread title I could reroute this too. I have been getting lots of advice from DGers and it's sure been helpful!

Thanks for reading so carefully Billy!



This message was edited Jun 2, 2006 2:56 PM

You're welcome. I got a giggle out of your ''oh my gosh.'' Well, we could always ask how the little grubber is doing - laugh!

ROFL!

I think you should definitely save a copy of this thread to show the 'little grubber' when he/she/they is/are a lot older - you can sure have a lot of fun with it over the years. Also if there are any future siblings, they will have an absolute ball with it - LOL.

Hey Aimee,

I live in Austin and I do not think we have Japanese beetles here. We seem to be lucky. I am guessing you have June bug grubs. I think you are suppose to be concerned if there are >5 per square foot of turf.

The most recent map of Japanese beetle distribution I could find:
http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/jb/imap/jb2002.html

This discusses organic control if desired:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=724

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=982

This has good pictures. They are in Austin and talk about the Japanese beetle. At this point I do not believe them. I wil have to do more research. I added this link for pictures, not the chemicals. I am all about the organics and am glad to here you have nematodes.

http://www.realgreenlawns.com/austin_tx_texas/grubworms.htm

I hope these are of interest.

David

David,

Thanks so much for posting here! Really appreicate all the links. =)


This message was edited Jun 2, 2006 2:56 PM

I miss riding on my motor cycle and having one hit me on the forhead. All I could feel is blood running down my face. when I stopped to fix the mortal wound all I found was beatle drool on my head. Yuck! I love Montana no big bugs to hit you on a bike ride. Except Salmon Flies.

LOL Soferdig. I tease my Texan husband that up in Michigan where I am from we didn't have any bugs. Hehe.