White grub a problem?

linzelu100 · April 30, 2013

We moved to a new house in Virginia. While plowing the fields I went to inspect the soil and it is clay, like all our other gardens, but it is a richer, crumbly clay and is full of visible life. All I have ever gardened in before was barren, rock hard clay, by the time we get it more lively we have to do a military move.

I noticed lots of worms, which is good, but also a white grub I am not familiar with. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of them, which is why I am showing concern. Can anyone tell me anything about this insect? Online I got a lot of conflicting information. Some say its a sign of good composted soil, another that they are larvae of Japanese beetle (which would be bad for me, I grow 750 square feet of beans!).

Thanks for Reading.

Lindsey

kath · April 30, 2013

Not an expert, but in my mind grubs in the garden are never good especially in those numbers. The one you show looks too big to be from a Japanese beetle but it looks a lot like the fig beetle larvae that we were infested with a few years ago, which are related to June beetles, I think. They feed on roots of many of the plants in your garden and the flying adults are shiny metallic colors of green and rust and they feed on corn silks and the leaves of potatoes, apples, beans and lots of others before they burrow into the soil and lay eggs in July.

When we had the infestation, we used to dig to find them and the neighbor's chickens loved them for a snack. We still have some each year but not enough to go digging for them - a tennis racket gets the flying ones, the perching ones get invited to a pool party in a mug of soapy water, the grubs are still chicken feed.

kath · April 30, 2013

Here are some pics of the fig beetle's forms. The second one shows what they look like just before they hatch out and begin flying around.

**Lee** · April 30, 2013

Look like a Japanese Beetle grub. Have 'em, hate 'em. Only thing that gets me to use Sevin.

http://turf.uark.edu/images/jblifestages%20small.jpg

Might be a good time to invest in some Milky Spore......

Lee

linzelu100 · April 30, 2013

After going through the soil some more, I think I jumped to worrisome conclusions too soon. Online I found a college agriculture page about them and they said in a square foot there can be under 5 and be fine. We don't even have one per square foot. Maybe 5-10 per 32 foot row. I should have been more specific, because when I reread what I wrote, hundreds to a thousands sounds terrible, but we have lots of acres! I should have been much more specific. I went out and picked all that I saw when I was out picking out rocks. I think it will be ok. It is always difficult moving from place to place and starting over somewhere new. Thanks for the info!

Worth1 · April 30, 2013

Grubs eat roots but.
When you go down the road to to destruction on one bad critter you end up killing good critters.

This road can sometimes be very hard to come back down.
Many times you will end up with an imbalance of wild life that is hard to reverse.

The amount you have is not an infestation by any definition.

I am not an anti poison person but there is a time and place for everything.

Worth

Dewayne mater · April 30, 2013

Looks like a future June Bug to me. They are everywhere in N. Tx and I'll be you have em too. If that is what it is, they can do some significant damage to some turf grasses like St. Augustine. We typically do treat the grass to lower their numbers. I think that is later in the season like July or August. I've never had them be a problem in a vegetable garden and thought they must prefer to eat those grass roots to tomatoes. I haven't and won't put grub poisons out in the garden.

Dewayne Mater

coastal bend · April 30, 2013

Down here they are a June Bug larva . they can be problem from time to time. A couple of years ago they were in some of the cotton fields. They ate on the roots of the cotton. Some plants died others just sit there dormant until they recovered but never produced much cotton.

awsumth · April 30, 2013

Although it may not be a problem right now, but the more you garden the more you're going to get. Grubs particularly like wet areas surrounded by dry areas. The neighbors I'm surrounded by don't garden and let their grass die and soil turn to sand; grubs flock to my yard and cause dead patches in the grass and stunt my plants. I find them right near the holes in potted plants too.

I do have to treat for grubs. They live year-round here. I haven't noticed a loss of beneficial bugs like ladybugs.

April 30, 2013	#4
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	Look like a Japanese Beetle grub. Have 'em, hate 'em. Only thing that gets me to use Sevin. http://turf.uark.edu/images/jblifestages%20small.jpg Might be a good time to invest in some Milky Spore...... Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

April 30, 2013	#2
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Not an expert, but in my mind grubs in the garden are never good especially in those numbers. The one you show looks too big to be from a Japanese beetle but it looks a lot like the fig beetle larvae that we were infested with a few years ago, which are related to June beetles, I think. They feed on roots of many of the plants in your garden and the flying adults are shiny metallic colors of green and rust and they feed on corn silks and the leaves of potatoes, apples, beans and lots of others before they burrow into the soil and lay eggs in July. When we had the infestation, we used to dig to find them and the neighbor's chickens loved them for a snack. We still have some each year but not enough to go digging for them - a tennis racket gets the flying ones, the perching ones get invited to a pool party in a mug of soapy water, the grubs are still chicken feed.

April 30, 2013	#5
linzelu100 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 447	After going through the soil some more, I think I jumped to worrisome conclusions too soon. Online I found a college agriculture page about them and they said in a square foot there can be under 5 and be fine. We don't even have one per square foot. Maybe 5-10 per 32 foot row. I should have been more specific, because when I reread what I wrote, hundreds to a thousands sounds terrible, but we have lots of acres! I should have been much more specific. I went out and picked all that I saw when I was out picking out rocks. I think it will be ok. It is always difficult moving from place to place and starting over somewhere new. Thanks for the info!

April 30, 2013	#6
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Grubs eat roots but. When you go down the road to to destruction on one bad critter you end up killing good critters. This road can sometimes be very hard to come back down. Many times you will end up with an imbalance of wild life that is hard to reverse. The amount you have is not an infestation by any definition. I am not an anti poison person but there is a time and place for everything. Worth

April 30, 2013	#7
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Looks like a future June Bug to me. They are everywhere in N. Tx and I'll be you have em too. If that is what it is, they can do some significant damage to some turf grasses like St. Augustine. We typically do treat the grass to lower their numbers. I think that is later in the season like July or August. I've never had them be a problem in a vegetable garden and thought they must prefer to eat those grass roots to tomatoes. I haven't and won't put grub poisons out in the garden. Dewayne Mater

April 30, 2013	#8
coastal bend Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: south texas Posts: 114	Down here they are a June Bug larva . they can be problem from time to time. A couple of years ago they were in some of the cotton fields. They ate on the roots of the cotton. Some plants died others just sit there dormant until they recovered but never produced much cotton.

April 30, 2013	#9
awsumth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: South Florida Posts: 40	Although it may not be a problem right now, but the more you garden the more you're going to get. Grubs particularly like wet areas surrounded by dry areas. The neighbors I'm surrounded by don't garden and let their grass die and soil turn to sand; grubs flock to my yard and cause dead patches in the grass and stunt my plants. I find them right near the holes in potted plants too. I do have to treat for grubs. They live year-round here. I haven't noticed a loss of beneficial bugs like ladybugs.