Euuuugh. . . or are they beneficial (grubs in compost)?

While tossing my compost today, I found several fat white translucent grubs, with orange faces and yellow legs (about 1 1/2 inch long). . . see what I mean about "euuuugh"? I just let them be. . . but is there something I should do about them (something lethal, I mean?)
Thanks in advance, from a newbie.

Grubs with legs??? ewwwwwww

i saw some grubby things around some coffee grounds. mealworms? i figure anything eating in there is fine.

I *think* those are cutworms - they get incredibly fat in my compost pile, which puts smiles on my Dalmatians faces, they love 'em. Slurp.

Ewwww!

Ooooo PC, and i just ate! =:0o

Kill the grubs, they are the larva of the Japanese beetle. They overwinter, and hatch out. Hard to believe that fat white grub turns into a shiny metallic bug that eats whatever it takes a fancy to.

Sorry, Katye... hope it wasn't ravioli or... well, nevermind...

Thanks; these grubs looked extremely ugly--and I do hate Japanese Beetles. Glad to think that I can take care of them in an organic fashion. (Just step into this sudsy bucket.)
Thanks for the advice.

If the grubs are 1 1/2" long, I'd say they're "june bugs" instead of Japanese beetles. Both insects look similar as grubs and mature beetles, but "june bugs" are much larger.

I don't know the correct name for "june bugs", but I'm sure you know what they are. They're pretty harmless, except they like to burrow into and eat ripe fruit and grapes.

The main problem with having june bug grubs in the soil is that moles come to eat them, and the moles damage lawns and gardens in the process.

I guess we should be happy that WE don't eat them.
Is it what you'd like to look at on your plate?
This thread is a diet plan: it has killed my appetite once more!
ravioli, indeed - PC! =:0o

Fabulous!

Darned if my Dals haven't dug up my new planting looking for those babies... heh...

yummy.

Thanks for for the appetite suppressant. ha ha

Anything for a friend!

Anyone for some potstickers?

oooo - I can hardly wait! What kind of 'innerds', PC?

speaking of bugs in the compost, I opened my lid today to find what we call ladybugs (i know no real names), very strange for october. the compost must be breaking down because I just keep putting stuff in and next time I open it, there is more room, sort of like Mary Poppins' magic carpet bag.

I dumped a big load of grass clippings on my compost pile last week. Those have dried now, at least on the surface.

Yesterday afternoon, there were hundreds of orange butterflies sitting on those grass clippings. They all flew when I approached, but they came right back. I don't know what they're getting out of the compost, but something about it attracts them.

Ozark, I think I overestimated the length in my description. When I looked up "june bug grubs" my source said that the heads were brown--whereas MY ugly critters had orange heads (and creepy yellow legs), which fits the Japanese Beetle grub desrciption.
I wish I had chickens or skunks to eat up m grubs!

Ozark, what a lovely sight that must have been. Keep the camera ready just in case they come back. Maybe they were getting a bit of heat?

CapeCod, can you borrow a couple of chickens for a few days? I'd pass on the skunks! peee-uuuu

Question: I don't have a thermometer, but when I open the lid of the tumbler, the air inside feels hot on my skin. This is good, right??

Yup, Cathy, it's great!

Ozark, I gotta tell you.... one of the side benefits to having horses is (and all of you butterfly people, cover your ears!) the butterflies seem to love manure. Bizarre, but true.

Pagancat, that is fascinating about the butterflies and manure. . . there's a poem in there somewhere.

I have a friend who has chickens, and when/if I find more grubs lurking in my compost, I'm going to bring them on over to her house rather than be so quick to drown them. Might as well make the chickens happy!

Now if my compost were properly hot, I probably wouldn't have grubs, would I? They were discovered in my bin that was just "resting.'

LOL @==> Cape Cod!

As to the heat - I don't know that's necessarily true - in the middle of the pile, of course, they'd fry, but in a nice, protected site with plenty of yummies, I'd hang out and fatten up, too.

But there is so many bennies to a hot pile that I'd never discourage you from shooting for one!

Hmmm - sounds similar to being in Baja vs the Amazon.
I had never considered compost in terms of a grub vacation spot...