White Grubs

[modeller]

My compost bin is infested with white grubs which I don't want to put on my garden. Will they be killed off
by the methane produced.? I once put a few earth worms in the top of my compost bin and the following day they were dead. I presume from the gas .

[boxtops]

Earth worms are fine in a compost bin, they help the process, in fact there is a variety of worm - the compost worm - that thrives, I had dozens in there last year. Your grubs could develop into maggots or something more sinister - are you sure not to put protein-based scraps into your compost? I am thinking of bluebottles...

[mrs_nordling]

Have you also got a black ant nest in your compost bin? If so, the grubs are the second stage, legless larvae of which the queen laid eggs 3 - 4 weeks ago, these will in turn pupate to become the more familiar larger ant eggs then, you guessed it, turn into ants!

[rowanwitch]

turn your compost regularly to expose them,, leave it uncovered for a while, your local robin will love you lots

[modeller]

I think these lavae are beetle grubs they are about 3cm long and 1cm thick . The bin has a lid on it which makes it difficult to dig it over but when I do I don't find any worms only these big grubs.
boxtop You mentioned ' compost worms ' . How big are they ? As I said in my question
I put several worms, different sizes ' on top of the compost expecting them to burrow down but when I looked next day they were dead . I assumed that any gas given off may have killed them. I never put protein of any sort cooked or fresh in the bin.

rowanwitch I picked out about 20 of them and fed them to the birds.

[mrs_nordling]

Are the grubs in question a dull grey colour? If so they could be the larvae of the daddy-longlegs better known as leather jackets, although these are normally laid in lawns.

[joggerjayne]

Aww, gross !

[modeller]

mrs nordling they are creamy white with reddish heads and gey/black rear ends , the last 1cm.they are about this size: 00000000000000000
00000000000000000
-----------3 to 4cm -----

I hope this illustration isn't distorted in transmission.The lines of 0s are parallel'

[modeller]

It has been distorted but you get the idea 3 to 4 cm long by 1 cm fat.

[boxtops]

compst worms are quite small and slender, and reddish. Your bugs sound like blue bottles to me, look here:
http://www.eurobait-m...gots-for-fishing.html

[boxtops]

sorry your pic doesn't work.... ^^ compost

[modeller]

www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef302.asp

I think this is it !

[modeller]

www.ca.uky.edu/.../entfacts/images/whgrub.jpg

[ChuckFickens]

http://www.ca.uky.edu...gy/entfacts/ef302.asp

(you need the http:// to make it clickable)

[modeller]

http://www.google.co....sa%3DN%26tbs%3Disch:1

[modeller]

Thank you Chuck I was trying to do that but without success . I hadn't realised http was so essential. However I think I've got it right now. The White Grub pictured is the one I have the problem with.

[mrs_nordling]

If they're always in a curved posture then they're likely to be the chafer grub. You could try a nemantode based insecticide. These products contain living organisms rather than chemicals. Nematodes (eelworms) kill the larvae of several common soil pests the chafer grub, along with the cutworm. Now would be an ideal time to use it as this type of non-chemical approach doesn't work below 10 degrees centigrade. Hope this helps.

[modeller]

Good idea I expect they wiil also ,remain in the soil after killing the chafer grubs

[mrs_nordling]

What's worrying me is that you say your compost bin is giving of a methane gas smell. I can only assume that it's full of grass cuttings. Compost bins need a mixture of 'greens' and 'browns' to work effectively with only a a limited amount of grass cuttings. Your local authority will probably have something on their web site with regards to the best mixture of items to get good quality compost. I've got three bins myself, brimming with worms which do the job of breaking down the vegetable matter producing compost. I then mix this 50/50 for potting up or dig into my veg plots in the early spring.

[modeller]

No I didn't say it was giving off methane I said I put some worms on top of the compost inside the bin and the following day they were still there and dead . I therefore assumed they had been killed by a gas as I can't think of another explanation. I can't smell any gas and apart from the grub problem the compost is fine.
Today I empied the bin and found a bucket full of grubs, there must be several hundred which I hope to feed to the birds.