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Little-TON - Colorado

This year in our soil I have noticed a very large amount of a type larvae that Im having a hard time identifying. I have found these when trenching the vines. They look like pearls in the soil when you trench all curled up. In one spot I found over a dozen that seemed to be around higher composted area's. Once uprooted and distrubed they start to take off when the sun hits them. One notices that their back end is flatish not like a regular cutt worm, and they are translucent....partially see their insides. I assume they will metamorph into some large moth. They are in all sizes, 1/2 inch to 1-1/2 inches.....

Anyone have a guess of what they are? Seens a pretty good year for them....Robins love to eat them I toss them to the birds in the garden and now they seem to be digging them out of the compost pile too....What are these?

7/22/2008 2:25:05 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Are they root eaters? A pest? SOmething else to worry about.......?

7/22/2008 2:26:56 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Oh yeah, they have a black head on them and move pretty fast once the sun hits em. They are not the normal sod web worms that I am familar with......

7/22/2008 2:28:06 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

BiZ is afraid they eat rats.......lol

7/22/2008 2:28:40 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Could it be this: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05601.html

7/22/2008 2:49:35 PM

Utah

Croley hanks for the link.
I have some Bumble Flower Beetle Larva every year. and maybe some scarabs too. They get brought it with horse manure I use. I kill them when I see them. I haven't every seen one eating pumpkin roots or otherwise damaging the pumpkin plants.

7/22/2008 3:29:28 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Gordon and Crowley,

The best match so far is the bumble flower beetle larva....I will find more and post their pic. If they do eat pumpkin roots or plants we need to move fast. I have never seen them so plentiful within the soil. They dont appear close to any growing roots but centered around composting materials.....Some of these larva are as big around as a pinky finger....Thanks alot.....appears these are the ones.....

7/22/2008 3:56:49 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

I've got many white grubs of some sort as well. I've never noticed so many. I hope they're harmless.

7/22/2008 4:47:29 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Here is a pic of bumble flower beetle larva

http://bugguide.net/images/raw/V05QV02QV0PQB08QJ05KNK5K1KGKCK7KTKWQY0MKF0UQHSIK1K8KTKGKAK8KVKVQAKXKY0WQ104Q.jpg

7/22/2008 5:44:12 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Sorry thats the beetle. Here is the larva:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/insimg/05601F15-www.jpg

7/22/2008 5:45:03 PM

Rhode Island

could it be the vampire beetle? does it burn up or burst into flames when exposed to the sun?

if not then it sounds like the white grubs we get around here in gardens and lawns. i think i put a couple in garys wizard hat this past march at niagara

7/22/2008 8:27:31 PM

Rhode Island

ps-----they love to eat roots and in lawns they leave lots of bare spots where the grass dies from lack of roots

7/22/2008 8:29:16 PM

Littleton, Colo

The rat iz getting fatter now that you've mentioned it........

7/22/2008 11:25:54 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Put down Ortho lawn type grub killer in the fall after you take vines off. We have them rampant all over here. The stuff has Merit in it but will zap most of them. Horse manure, composting it well will get rid of the grubs, then stake black plastic over it for a month to sun broil to finish killing them...

7/23/2008 9:33:24 AM