Guess this worm

[andrewislord]

I started seeing these a week or two ago. They would be crawling around the grass looking half dead. I started killing them because I figured they weren't good. So I dug up my root balls recently and started seeing these. Their seems to be quite a few of them, and they like to be deep in the root ball, wrapped around big roots.

I think they are green june beetle larvae. I got that from a link from, I think, BarG in Kaneo's grow log. Not sure on that though. Here is the link
http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/AreaSubs.cfm?area=62

Directly to the beetle: http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=2579&area=62

They look the same to me, but worms look like worms to me. Worms are kind of new to me. Actually, anything other than spider mites, aphids, and fungus gnats are new to me.


Really good link by the way, whoever posted it.

 

[deluxestogie]

My first impression is that they are cutworms.

Bob

 

[BigBonner]

Grub Worm

No problems to tobacco and are good fish bait .

 

[Matty]

June bug larvae have a big orangeish head and whiter body, they also usually curl up like, well, sphincter rings. I don't like june bugs, they're creepier than me lol

 

[andrewislord]

Are cutworms a specific worm or a broad term for worms that cut things under the soil? When trying to look up cut worms I find a whole lot of of different worms, and the green june beetle larvae included with cut worms.

 

[istanbulin]

I couldn't see it very well but it seemed to me like a mole cricket larvae. I hope it's not. Please compare it with this picture. Does it has three little legs like this, etc. ?

 

[andrewislord]

It has a weird orange head and little orange feet or something just in the front. It seems to move around on it's back, although I could be wrong. It doesn't really curl up into a tight ball, more like a C, but a little close to a O. I think the ones I have are half dead, they don't move a whole lot, I did find a lot of dead ones.

So the worm is no problem. Does the beetle or whatever it turns into eat leaves or cause any problems?

 

[andrewislord]

I'll go look and count some legs. All these pictures are grossing me out.

These all look the same.

 

[istanbulin]

So the worm is no problem. Does the beetle or whatever it turns into eat leaves or cause any problems?

If it's a mole cricket, take a look at the pic below.

 

[andrewislord]

Here is some better pictures. He may be a little beat up, I picked it up with barbecue tongs and dropped it a lot. The one in this picture is smaller than most of the others I've been seeing.





It looks to have six legs, 3 on each side with some little things in the very front. It looks like your picture but maybe smaller and darker.

 

[istanbulin]

It looks to have six legs, 3 on each side with some little things in the very front. It looks like your picture but maybe smaller and darker.

Yes, it's darker, mole cricket larvaes are 1.4 to 2 inches long. But I think, this is not smaller.

 

[andrewislord]

The one I just pulled out seemed darker than some of the others, and not quite as fat. And it moved a little more, maybe it's younger or something. Also, I just pulled it out of the dirt and poured a little water on it. In your picture he doesn't look very dirty.

I need a new camera.

I can't seem to tell much of a difference between all these worms.

If I find another one crawling around the grass I'll get a picture. Those ones are cleaner and bigger.

 

[istanbulin]

I'll check it tomorrow for you because it's 2 am here

 

[leverhead]

Here, if I went out digging with a flashlight at 2:00 AM, people would think I found a trespasser.

 

[BarG]

We call them grub worms.

 

[Chicken]

you picked him up with b-b-q- thong's....

i lod'd,, OUT LOAD<

 

[istanbulin]

Now, I'm sure that yours is not a Mole Cricket (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) but IMO, it's not a Green June Beetle (Cotinis nitida) too. I think it's a Figeater (or Fig) Beetle (Cotinis mutabilis) larva. Fig beetle larvae don't have strong jaws they generally prefer soft roots in the ground. Adults generally eat soft fruits (like figs, nectarines, etc.).

Here are some adults of Cotinis mutabilis

And the map of them.

I must add that these different beetles (junebugs, fig beetles, rhino beetles etc.) are the members of scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae) family. This family contains app. 30000 different beetles and most of these larvae are very similar to each other. But for one bettle, its larvae have different looks in different growing periods. Because of these it's very hard to define a larva.

 

[Ashauler]

We call them grub worms.

Same here.

 

[Matty]

Guess you'll have to put a few in a jar with dirt and stuff and grow them to an adult stage, that is, if you really wanna know

 

[istanbulin]

Guess you'll have to put a few in a jar with dirt and stuff and grow them to an adult stage, that is, if you really wanna know

That's it, science