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Stag Beetle Grubs?
Trish3
Posts: 13
I have been spreading my home made compost around some of my shrubs and trees and came across these grubs:- large, white, with orange heads curled in a C about 3/4 inch across. Are they stag beetle grubs? What should I do with them? In the past I have thrown them under the hedge, but if they are stag beetles I want them to survive
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Hello Trish - do they look like this ?
http://www.stagbeetles.co.uk/stagbeetlelarvae.htm
Pam LL x
Could vine weevil grubs?-only size might be wrong?-chafer grubs?-a picture would help Trish?
This is a better photo
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15821
Pam LL x
I usually find stag beetle larvae in the woodpile rather than the compost heap. Chafer larvae live in soil so probably compost heaps as well.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Most likely Rose Chafer larvae, which are often found in compost heaps and are about 20mm long, which fits well with the 3/4 inch size quoted. Stag beetle larvae are a fair bit bigger than that (up to 110mm, but usually about 50-80mm) and are usually only found in (or in the soil under) dead wood.
Rose chafer info http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/species-of-the-day/collections/our-collections/cetonia-aurata/index.html
Images of rose chafer larvae http://garden.kierenandverity.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/chafer-larvae.jpg
Hope they're helpful
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thank you Lilylouise,Sotongeoff, Nutcutlet and Bob the Gardener for your replies.Your pics Lilylouise did look like the grubs I found. I returned them to the corner of the heap. I will have to have a look tomorrow and measure them Bob.The 3/4 inch was across the C, so they could be longer.
Thankyou Dovefromabove the info you sent was very helpful. I did see rose chafers in the garden last summer so I think the grubs are rose chafers. ( I'm going to check if mine are hairy ,but they didn't un curl so couldn't say if they travelled on their back)
If they are Rose Chafer, they are very beneficial as far as helping the composting process goes.
I have rose chafer beetle larvae in my manure, have already researched it to find out what they were, and Dove's links are very good.