Problem What is this grub?

[Mandy Onderwater]

I was aerating some pots that have been sitting for a while as I was waiting for the right season to hit. They were kept outside with my other plants and were stacked on top of another (whilst filled with soil). When aerating I found at least 8 of these grubs. They are large white-ish with a dark brown/black head. They also had some weird brown "hair" all over them.

What is it and does it harm my plants? I was planning in planting a potato in one of the pots.

Would've taken a better picture if they didn't weird me out so much, haha.

 

[JoshW]

Chook food at my house. We got over 60 out of 1 wheelbarrows worth of pots

Organic control of curl grubs - Eco Organic Garden

Curl grubs are the larvae of different species of beetle including the African Black Beetle, the blackheaded pasture cockchafer, Christmas beetles and Scarab beetles. The larvae feed on dead plant material and the live roots or stems of a broad range of plants including lawns. They are white or...

www.ecoorganicgarden.com.au

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Thank you @JoshW !

 

[JP 1983]

The same thing I got, Mandy! Scarabs (probably the colloquial "christmas beetles" Anoplognathus pallidicollis, but also possible is a rhinoceros beetle grub, due to the size). Likely from the good rain season this year.

They eat plant roots and other decaying plant material. Like I said in another place here, I found 18 of these in a tiny 10cm pot I had left abandoned for the better part of 6 months. If you want to turn a woody, nasty potting mix (like I have) into nice soil, leave them in there and remove them before you plant.

Your local magpies, kookaburras, currawongs or butcherbirds will love them if you don't have any chooks. Just leave them out in a pot saucer they can't climb out of and the birds will get to them soon enough

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I may or may not have thrown them in a dead wood pile my neighbours have before I knew this (their kids love finding these grubs, but I didn't put much notice to them as I wasn't into gardening quite yet back then).

We do often enjoy seeing the Rhino and Christmas beetles though, so if I see more I might dedicate an area to them perhaps... my partner especially loves them. The things we do for love

Thanks @JP 1983

 

[Jason890]

Quick squish them
Oh I had dramas with these

 

[Cathy]

I've had huge problems with these grubs... definitely the rhino beetle grubs as we have had lots of them... this is my old house so hopefully my new house will have fewer.

Those all came from one pot... like others have said you can get a lot in one pot.... I'm thinking of using fly screen mesh over my next lot if veggies in pots.

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

I'm very surprised my plants never showed damage. Unless they were only in my 2 "empty" pots... I really want to know how to co-exist with them because they are very beautiful as an adult, but I don't want them damaging my plants.

 

[Clara]

That would be free chook food...Lol!