Good and bad grubs
You can't see it as black and white as in a fairy tale, but from a gardener's point of view you can Grubs already divide into harmful and useful species. Because they feed either only on living or only on dead plant material.
also read
- How do you know if mushrooms are bad?
- What are these white maggots in the earth?
- Are those maggots in my lawn?
The larvae that attack living parts of plants, more precisely roots, can of course cause damage. Grasses, young tuber vegetables, strawberries and lettuce are particularly affected. Worrying leaves and fruits and pieces of lawn dying off like islands are the result of the underground feeding activity of such grubs. The beetle species whose larvae deprive your garden plants of their livelihood in this way are, for example:
- Cockchafer
- June beetle (ribbed curl beetle)
- Garden beetle
These beetle species lay their eggs outdoors according to the culinary preferences of their larvae Garden soil, in beds or in flower pots. When the larvae hatch, they go through a long development period of 2 to 4 years. That is how long they stay in the ground and initially eat
humus, then the tender roots of smaller plants and finally before pupation Tree roots.Get rid of harmful grubs or don't even allow it
In most cases, however, the damage is relatively limited, as the populations of the beetle species mentioned are no longer as invasive as they were around 70 years ago. In order to counteract an acute infestation, the grubs should nevertheless be dug up and collected or decimated with the help of predatory nematodes. In the May and June bug years, it is also advisable to provide beds, flower pots and possibly lawns with insect protection nets during their flight times to prevent eggs from being laid.
There are also useful grubs
If you see typically C-shaped, creamy white grubs on the compost heap, you don't need to do anything. Rather, you should welcome these fellows. Because with great certainty they are useful grubs from rose or Rhinoceros beetles that only feed on dead plant material and valuable permanent humus to produce. So let them live in the compost and enjoy their free recycling work.
