“I found several of these in my Tucson, AZ compost pile and in my raised bed garden”, writes Dave about the white, worm-like creature pictured below. “Stretched out, it’s a plump two-inches long. It has translucent, grey-white skin (curiously dirt doesn’t stick to the skin) and a dark inner mass at the tail end. It looks similar to the wood boring beetle larvae posted earlier. My question is, should I worry about this critter eating my plants or destroying their roots. Thanks for maintaining your site.” Well, firstly, we want to thank David for submitting to our site! It is because we get submissions like these that we are able to keep it running. Secondly, we want to thank him for the absolutely excellent photo he sent in.

Because of the fantastic photo, we were immediately able to identify this creature as a beetle larva, specifically, a chafer grub. The term ‘grub’ refers to most, plump, white species of beetle larva, and when you put that word into Google, you will typically get a picture of the chafer grub. The same goes for when you Google ‘beetle larva’. So, you could say that the chafer grub is the model beetle larva. Most gardeners might not agree with that statement, however. At least, not as far as their behavior goes. Chafer grubs are notorious pests.

Chafer grubs live in the soil, and will eat a variety of plant matter. It should be noted that there are actually multiple species of chafer grubs, and they all eat different things, so whether or not the species David encountered is a pest is entirely up to what species it belongs to. For example, the chafer grubs that eat grass roots are pests, as they can damage healthy lawns. That said, species of chafer grubs (for example the rose chafer grub) which eat decaying plant matter and are mostly found in compost are not pests at all, but actually the opposite: they are environmentally beneficial. Of course, all creatures play a part in the ecosystem. Even the pests! Since David found this one in his compost bin, it is most likely a rose chafer grub. In any case, chafer grubs are not harmful to humans or pets, so we do not recommend that David kill the grub.

In conclusion, the “plump” white creature David found is a chafer grub, and most likely a rose chafer grub. They are harmless, and only want to feed on the decaying organic matter he is putting in the compost bin. We hope this helps, and we wish David the very best!

Summary

Article Name

Plump White Worm in Compost Pile is a Rose Chafer Grub

Description

"I found several of these in my Tucson, AZ compost pile and in my raised bed garden", writes Dave about the white, worm-like creature pictured below. "Stretched out, it's a plump two-inches long. It has translucent, grey-white skin (curiously dirt doesn't stick to the skin) and a dark inner mass at the tail end. It looks similar to the wood boring beetle larvae posted earlier. My question is, should I worry about this critter eating my plants or destroying their roots. Thanks for maintaining your site." Well, firstly, we want to thank David for submitting to our site! It is because we get submissions like these that we are able to keep it running. Secondly, we want to thank him for the absolutely excellent photo he sent in.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton