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Friend or Foe? Grub ID, please

14 years ago

I approached my compost pile for the first time this year and started turning it over to see what I had. The compost looks great (the little I have) but I found these grubs all over the place! Before I introduce what could be a voracious predator of my little seedlings to my garden bed, I was hoping someone could help me ID these bugs. Are they Cicadas? Something else? They're pretty big: about an inch to an inch and half long if extended.

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Comments (4)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
14 years ago
They are not cicada nymphs, but grubs of some kind. I'd expose the compost pile for some serious bird predation. Personally, I would not turn this out into the garden until I had removed most of the grubs.
Kimmsr
14 years ago
They could be June Beetle or Japanese Beetle grubs, or one of the other scarab beetle larva.
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jean001
14 years ago
Denizens of the compost eat dead plants not live ones.

Japanese Beetle grubs want live roots not dead compost. Same for June beetles.

OP's grubs may be from green fruit beetle. They eat dead stuff, not live. They're reliable members of Nature's Compost Crew.
joepyeweed
14 years ago
Friend.

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