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Post by iolar on May 29, 2024 14:06:20 GMT 1
It's about an inch long, the body is a silver colour and it has an orange face and jaws. You never see it above ground and it destroys any plant that has softish roots by eating them. I have lost lettuce and strawberries. You only know it's around when you see your plants dying. This year I lost 2 strawberry plants. It's only when you dig up a dead or dying plant that you know it's around.
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mysty
Member
Posts: 1,728
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Post by mysty on May 30, 2024 15:34:59 GMT 1
What is this oranged faced root eater called and did you catch him or her in the act. You cannot go around accusing him or her of eating the roots when it could well be something else. 😳,,😄
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Post by woolybanana on May 30, 2024 16:20:36 GMT 1
Isnt it called the DyaneRabbit mole, a member of the CorbynMomenturm family; known to eat things away from the inside, invisible, like termites until they collapse?
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exile
Member
Massif Central
Posts: 2,765
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Post by exile on May 30, 2024 17:37:19 GMT 1
I think we are actually discussing the larvae of the cockchafer
I doubt Diane qualifies on that basis but who knows.
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suein56
Member
Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
Posts: 7,963
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Post by suein56 on May 30, 2024 19:38:55 GMT 1
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Post by cernunnos on May 31, 2024 8:30:38 GMT 1
The adults are called Maybugs or Junebugs, certainly not a pest for us , but then .... They are in decline , we havn't seen any this year , probably due to te cold and wet , maybe next month? ( we love to see them , they are beautiful)
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Post by jardiniere on May 31, 2024 9:00:00 GMT 1
I think it's more likely the chafer grub if you look at the photo on this page: www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/chafer-grubs-in-garden-bordersThere's been a lot of discussion about grubs on the French gardening forum I follow from time to time. Apparently if they're like this photo but without the orange head they're harmless. I found one in a pot I bought where the plant died inexplicably. But when I emptied the pot, there was the explanation.
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Post by lapourtaider on May 31, 2024 9:27:09 GMT 1
We had dozens of rose chafers on our hedge a month ago, beautiful.
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Post by jardiniere on May 31, 2024 9:28:49 GMT 1
Ah .. the malevolent cockchafer. Is this the beast in question Sorry Sue. I just read further into the article I linked to and you're absolutely right. I'm not doing too well this morning!
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suein56
Member
Southern Morbihan 56 Brittany
Posts: 7,963
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Post by suein56 on May 31, 2024 10:57:16 GMT 1
Sorry Sue. I just read further into the article I linked to and you're absolutely right. I'm not doing too well this morning! No apology necessary .. There was me thinking your article link was exactly the problem we have sometimes - the white C-shaped grubs we find in the soil and in the compost bin too.
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Post by iolar on Jun 2, 2024 9:30:30 GMT 1
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Post by iolar on Jun 2, 2024 9:35:17 GMT 1
Sorry Sue. I just read further into the article I linked to and you're absolutely right. I'm not doing too well this morning! No apology necessary .. There was me thinking your article link was exactly the problem we have sometimes - the white C-shaped grubs we find in the soil and in the compost bin too. That's the one. Due to total control by Liseron/Bindweed I only use a very small part of the garden which I have dug down into the sub-soil to make sure I've got rid of every piece of bindweed root. Then I use the thick black polythene DPC to completely line the sides of the dug ground.
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Post by iolar on Jun 12, 2024 13:48:58 GMT 1
Yes the chafer grub and apparently as jardenaire has shown is a serious agricultural problem. There is a solution - nematodes, microscopic worms that enter the larvae and kill them. In the UK you can buy Nemasys G and these nematodes are really effective. I've tried to find if I can buy them in France but no luck so far.
They cause lots of problems in lawns, not a problem for me because the bindweed has been allowed to go rampant here for years.
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Post by jeliecrack on Jun 12, 2024 16:20:00 GMT 1
Look it up on amazon its there.
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