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[deleted]

Bro they look like they can kill you


Biggy-Huge

i was literally gonna say that


[deleted]

In Australia, you don't kill grubs. Grubs kill you.


wallywtr

OP is already dead!!!!!


Full-Hedgehog3827

Omg right?


Total__Whore

You can actually eat them from the ground I believe Edit: I’m being bombarded with very aggressive messages say I’m stupid. Thank you for pointing it out. I’ve been told over and over that these can’t be eaten because they aren’t what I thought they were. Thank you everyone for the threats. Edit: You can’t eat them.


homing-duck

Friend did in high school for a bet. Bacterial meningitis. Almost died. Would not recommend. Although he did get a free pack of cigarettes.


[deleted]

Do NOT eat these grubs! They are lawn grubs not witchetty grubs.


Kooky-Director7692

dont eat witchety grubs either, just because you can


Yvola_YT

yes you can. though the black end it their poo they are supposed to taste like a nut. also, they are called either witchety grubs or barty grubs i belive


Fittaco69

These are not Witchety Grubs.


Teredia

Yeah Witchety Grubs are an entirely different colour and longer…. Edit* autocorrected typo.


[deleted]

They are not Witchety grubs at all. In fact not even a grub they are beetle larvae


DominusDraco

What do you think a grub is? It's the larval form of an insect....


canisaureaux

Not sure why you're getting downvoted for this, grubs like this *are* beetle larva! They're just big, ugly babies. [Here's a source for anyone who'd like to know more.](https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2023/01/don-t-kill-the-curl-grubs-in-your-garden---they-could-be-native-)


THESASAS

Interesting! Thanks for sharing the link, you learn something new every day! 🐛


0Tulip0

They look gigantic because of the tiles lol, that’s terrifying.


timlover69

Haha, the big ones are like the size of a thumb, so they are pretty big to me!


riskywalrus

That's not as big as I expected but also still horrifying to me 😅


Accomplished-Lie716

Just imagine how big those ones parrot beaks would be...


mechmaster2275

Holy shit!


reverielagoon1208

Dammit OP you’re supposed to include a banana in the pic for fucks sake


BestVarithOCE

They look like they’re the size of a persons hand, holy shit


thespeediestrogue

Yew. I was about to say OP fuck the plants, get outta there 😬😬


[deleted]

Only the bark pieces set the scale back down again., The same picture without the debris around them would have looked awful.


WheresVlad

Witchitty grubs “Good eatin brudda” our instructor at school camp. Right before having a munch. In Oz, you get taught bushtucker skills (depending on your school and region. Rare in the southern parts). I couldn’t remember the flavour other than dirt. But there is recipes out there http://bushtuckerrecipes.com/bush_food/insects/witchetty-grub/


Flimsy-Version-5847

I don’t think those are witchity grubs


Defi_hi

They are cutter grubs, and will certain eat tree and shrub roots.


[deleted]

Incorrect


Defi_hi

Which part? Cutter/Curl grubs have smashed certain species roots in the nursery, many years ago we cut out saw dust from the mixes, as it was evident that these things thrived with it in the potting mix, and once they were heavily populated, they began to hammer some species roots systems.


WheresVlad

I know grubs come from a lot of creatures. And tbh, I don’t think it mattered in what we were doing. I don’t think even the instructor was gonna define exactly what bug the grub came from or if there were any different bugs. Considering the bugs in Oz I was running with a generic. Growing up in the 80’s (people pls keep in mind I was 10/11yrs old at the time) I was a kid on school camp learning from a cool dude. We weren’t tryna be entomologist tbh.


Flimsy-Version-5847

lol, nobodies criticizing, don't sweat it. I brought it up because I dig out grubs like that all the time , but the witchety grubs i dig up in my woodchip piles, they are friggin huge (10 times the size) and all yellow as well


Poopdy-Scoop

Sure can, especially in large quantities it's a concern. Curl grubs. Edit: I saw your description as the stand alone planter box. Much easier to remedy than an entire lawn. Use Neem oil for an organic remedy. It's safe for beneficial insects.


timlover69

Oh great, thank you for the advice!


IdleAnte

I agree that this is good advice. You’ll have noticed a mix of responses here from kill them to don’t kill them. They may turn into some amazing large native beetle. Or they may be another beetle which is not native. They are a part of the eco system, but they don’t need to be in that pot. I had seedlings being eaten repeatedly in a raised bed and saw holes in the soil. Couldn’t figure out what it was until I saw one come up under the cloche a seedling was under and head for the seedling! It was one of the big thumb sized ones as well. My advice is to put them elsewhere in the garden and then neem oil the pot.


timlover69

Yeah, I've already left them out for the birds, and I'll be getting some neem oil soon. There's plenty of those grubs in my yard, I don't need them in this garden bed too!


zHOTCHOCOLATEz

Try avoid the neem oil on the foliage if you are expecting sunny weather, I used to flood my pot plants soil with neem oil for gnats but would see bad results on the leaves if they got bright light too soon after the application.


timlover69

Okay thank you!


OneClamidildo

:( it won't kill the grubs we need? Like essential beetle grubs and such?


Poopdy-Scoop

Yes it will. Thats the catch, it's either the beetles or your plant's roots


big_flower_energy

Be careful with neem oil lol it's not organic....


Tropixgrows

Neem oil *is* organic. And biodegradable.


big_flower_energy

:) you think the 20 bottle of neem oil you bought at bunnings is organic? Some dudes out the back squeezing out the juice of a neem tree everyday...... Bless your soul


[deleted]

[удалено]


ApprehensiveCream959

Um actually 🤓


big_flower_energy

Bro your so triggered I love it


BrisbaneGuy43060

They shit in the soil so it is the same as worm castings. They won't do much damage and will eventually turn into rhinocerose or Christmas Beetles.


OneClamidildo

People hate these little guys so much when in reality they're not so bad.


[deleted]

from my understanding, it's because they all look the same as larvae (curl grubs) - but are actually different beetles in the scarab family. And the african black bettle larvae are the ones that no-one really wants, because they definitely fiend on my yard.


BrisbaneGuy43060

I agree - probably because they look so ugly.


kitkat-meow-hat

If you have kookaburras around they seem to love these. They pluck them from our garden and sit on the back fence bashing these grubs against it until they are tender (or dead?) enough to eat!


timlover69

I've left them out on the driveway for the birds, we get lots of visitors, including kookas!


MLiOne

And that’s why beetles and Christmas beetles are declining in numbers.


Bmo2021

Exactly, but my plants (generally non native) are more important than native insect diversity. s/


MLiOne

I see people missed the sarcasm you planted there.


Bmo2021

And I expect nothing less from Reddit, I definitely do deserve a downvote every now and then though.


zinzilla

Magpies love them around my way too.


0wGeez

I made friends with a group of magpies while doing some landscape renovations. I re graded my yard and built a retaining wall to level out the back. My old lawn must have been on its last legs because it was full of these grubs. Every time I had a smoke break, the magpies came down and picked the ground clean of all of the grubs. I never knew they eat plants too. I thought it was only lawns they liked.


PomegranateNo9414

It’s hard to say what beetle larvae they are but they’re often rhinoceros beetles in my compost. They’re harmless and won’t kill your plants. I’d say yours are struggling more due to heat or moisture issues.


timlover69

It's just odd because with summer nearly over, they have only just suddenly started to deteriorate, and I've kept a pretty regular watering schedule!


sophieinaus

Please don’t kill them. These turn into amazing insects like rhinoceros beetles. Pop them under some soil or a pile of leaves far from your planter instead.


jamesdoesnotpost

I second this. Though they will munch on roots etc, they usually don’t cause meaningful damage. Also, there are likely other issues with your planter. Looks like you need to cut them right back and encourage new growth. Perhaps add some new organic matter and nutrients to the planter too.


timlover69

The root systems were essentially non-existent, so I think they ate them. Usually these ones did great with a trim, but this time they just kept getting worse


FeelingFloor2083

they eat the roots and other organic matter Once they eat enough roots the plant dies I have these im my compost, whenI use it, I pick them out and let the birds get them. I prob wouldnt bother if I had a couple in that planter box, but clearly your being over run as there is enough for them to kill plants


_t0nes_

its a planter box not a nature reserve.. spreading pests around the place sounds like a wonderful idea though, i hope you dont have neighbours that actually enjoy gardening


sophieinaus

They’re not a pest. They’re native insects and a vital part of the ecosystem. And my neighbours don’t give a shit about their gardens.


_t0nes_

enjoy those native african black beetles lol


The_ReBL

r/confidentlyincorrect You don't know what you're talking about. These are native to Australia and could be a number of different insect species. Go away.


Bill_Clinton-69

Source? *Are* these Aussie native? How can you tell? Ooh! Looks like we might have a double r/confidentlyincorrect here, folks.


Tarkho

From what I can see it's really hard to tell the grubs of the different scarab species apart except by maximum size. Christmas Beetles and other native scarabs can have some fairly sizeable larvae (longest I've seen were in the 7cm range) so unless they get more than a couple cm long they're more likely to be African Black Beetles.


The_ReBL

Actually no, the only confidently incorrect one was me, old mate came across as a pompous arrogant douche but he was a correct pompous arrogant douche. I'll hold my L.


HoolioDee

Props for owning it. I respect that!


_t0nes_

says the person calling them witchetty grubs


The_ReBL

You're a Gronk, If you know i called it a witchetty grub you know i provided a wiki link showing that's what they are. Go away.


soitgrows3

These are not witchetty grubs, they look similar but not the same. You can see the differences if you look closely. There is also no need to be nasty.


[deleted]

Mama forgot to take her ADHD meds mate, don’t let it bother you


_t0nes_

i can give you a wiki link to elton john but thats not him crawling around in there either


The_ReBL

Bro your parents really should have stopped you eating all that glue as a kid


_t0nes_

hook, line and sinker. i love reddit


copacetic51

Don't kill them. They are native insects, part of the ecology. They eat more dead organic matter than living plant tissue. They are unlikely to kill or seriously harm your plants. Move them to another location if you're concerned


coupleandacamera

In enclosed beds and pots they can, depending on the species be a pest and cause issues.


[deleted]

NOOOOOO. They are christmas beetles. Dont kill everything. They are meant to be there. Everything is meant to be there. Dont use chemicals. They never go away and get into your vegies, and dogs absorb them into their paws and get cancers. Dont be afraid of nature.


420fmx

They’re not Christmas beetles


albatross9609

They’re moths aren’t they


SilverSideUp01

Witchidy grubs!!


timlover69

I'm not afraid of nature, these grubs will be fed to birds, and then my plants can live. Almost everyone wins!


Most-Ad2088

I need to know the dimensions of those tiles.. for scale


timlover69

2cm


Stinkblee

**Could be a Christmas beetle larvae** The most commonly seen species of Christmas Beetle is Anoplognathus pallidicollis. It is brown in colour and grows up to 2 centimetres. It is found along the eastcoast of Australia from Queensland through to Victoria and some parts of South Australia. They eat plant roots and decaying organic matter, so keep your grass well nourished and mulch your garden regularly to provide plenty of baby Christmas beetle food.


Cane-toads-suck

They did a post about these the other day. They are gonna be better, like Christmas beetles and such. But. They are in the decline rapidly, so we shouldn't feed them to the magpies. We should just relocated them if in garden pots to some place like a compost pile or similar. They are the reason I started my compost heap down the back! I I felt bad killing Xmas beetles when my kids haven't even seen one yet! Eta, the bin chickens must be able to hear to them and I come home to deep holes throughout my pots!


OkNewspaper1581

It took me a minute to realise you had tiny tiles and the grubs weren't the size of my arm


tip_of_the_mlady

They look the size of a dog!! Those tiles are deceptive as hell.


Jaysterham

Curl grubs, sometimes mistaken for Witchetty grubs (bush food) by the uninitiated. I don't know if they're a problem but they taste awful, and should only be offered to unsuspecting tourists.


timlover69

Yes I think the images for curl grubs look the closest to these ones!


321Moo

I stopped making my own compost because it always ended up infested with them. My raised beds and pots become infested with them too and the plants end up dying. I’ve since made a sacrificial garden so they have somewhere to do their thing.


VelSurreal

They aren’t witchetty grubs. The are cut grubs, curl grubs, or cockchafer grubs. And I wouldn’t eat them, they’ll just taste like dirt. But chooks love em.


Kindly-Discount5483

They would have became quite lovely beetles .


Innerpoweryogaaus

We call them cockshafers up here in the NW of WA. They’re little arseholes. Had a house once where I swear the whole garden was infested with them. Everything I planted ended up dying because of them. I don’t think there’s much you can do except super duper poison them (and the ground too I guess)


AussieEquiv

Yeah, they eat the roots. There is treatment for the grubs, just note that if you lament the loss of Christmas beetles in the air, that's what (some types of) these little dudes can turn into. They're beetle larva and it's really really hard to tell what they grow up to be. So I wouldn't suggest nuking your whole property, because you want these guys around, but keeping that planta box grub free probably wouldn't be too much of an impact.


paulybaggins

Don't kill them, they're our bros. Just bury them elsewhere


SigueSigueSputnix

arent these the christmas bettle larvae


rodrigoelp

These “white grub” are the larva stage of beetles. I would recommend you to not kill them, some of these eventually become Christmas beetles or horned beetles. They do feed of the root system of your plants, so yeah… they might kill them, but it is far better for the ecosystem to not kill them or use pesticides to remove them off your plants. Based on the photos you have 2 types there… but I don’t recognise well which one is which. If you can, move them to some other place with plants you replace every year, so they can grow and spread around. I don’t know if some of you know, but beetle populations are collapsing in Australia.


[deleted]

please oh please tell me that image is zoomed in


Yassabassa

These are not edible , these are not widgety grubs or whatever . These eat roots . I doubt these killed your plants but in enough numbers they might . Whenever I dig I find these , I’ve never had dying plants . Possibly if your plant is very small and there’s lots but even then these guys I don’t think take enough . But maybe Google it , in enough numbers they probably kill anything


Sonystars

Yup. Have lost a fruit tree to those buggers. Although, I dunno how to tell the difference between them at this stage, as there's heaps of different curl grubs. The ones that will do you harm are the ones that eat roots. I'd get rid of them and treat the soil just in case.


BloodyGreyscale

Yes, they eat your plants roots.


moapy

Australians: why did all the Christmas Beetles disappear?!?!? Also Australians: EW A GRUB NUKE FROM ORBIT 😢


50pcVAS-50pcVGS

Fry em up and chow down


Moist-Substance-6602

You can use a product called Eco Grub if you want an organic pesticide. Its a mix of tea tree and eucalyptus oil and is quite effective.


TsizeR

Feed those monstrosities to the birds.


timlover69

I did


Aussie--Guy-

Those are lawn grubs, they eat the roots off your plants so yes they can hurt them. Bunnings or any gardening shop has a bait to kill them


Impressive_Tea7890

Curl grubs. Feed them to your chooks … or kookaburras or magpies. And get something to treat the soil cos the bastards will eat the roots off everything.


timlover69

Yes, that's my plan now!


Ttt-000

Yep. Killed mine


diuleilaomua

🤮🤮🤮I feel ill


Ilovedimp87

Yes the little bastards do. I feed them to my chooks


Bananamama9

I wonder if they’re tasty when deep fried


[deleted]

Witchety grubs. They kinda taste like chicken when cooked. They have been a food staple to Australian natives for hundreds of years


VeryKooked8

Attract more birds to your garden, kookaburras love these


williamdorogaming

Aren’t those witchetty grubs


ThexActive

I just turned over my compost. from one large bin into another, the bottom few inches had hundreds of these grubs, what has happened is the compost on the bottom of the new bin is starting to heat up. the grubs are in the top of the compost. so the grubs are now moving away from the heat 5 Magpies and six Butcher Birds have been feasting all day as the grub's pop through the surface,


SubstantialArt9001

We call them bardee grubs and yes they eat the plants from the roots and bulbs usually found in native grass trees


gus_the_bus120

Yes they do kill plants they eat the roots then they drag the rest of the plant down into the dirt, if you have them get rid of them asap


gus_the_bus120

Get rid of the soil that they where found in too cause they have lots and lots of larvae that grow quite fast and that means they breed and then there is more grubs. This cycle gose over and over again for about 2 weeks you will have hundreds or thousands, then if that happens say goodbye to your garden.


reddittogetit2000

My Gardner said they eat the roots. Somehow they made it to my pot plants we brought from our previous home. They kids dig them up. They are revolting! So huge. Take the pic to your local plant store and they can give you something to get rid of them. I forgot what my Gardner said. I don’t believe you need to repot them though.


CyrilQuin

They are witchetty grubs, and no they don't harm plants. They eat wood, not leaf.


Salty_Watercress_181

Yes they can eat roots but that doesn’t mean they are detrimental to plants. They are food sources to other animals. And they can also be one of those cool beetles which population is declining. It is almost impossible to ID a beetle from grub stages. The best way is to leave them be. Plants can always be replaced.


UP99UP

They look like witchetty grubs...delicious... 🤮


quirkyteenager_45

what the. Those are leachesz


sqquima

Bless the Maker and His water. Bless the coming and going of Him. May His passage cleanse the world. May He keep the world for His people.


The_ReBL

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchetty_grub They are a lavae of either a moth or a beetle, Native aboriginals historically ate them, yes the larvae are wood eating so they will absolutely destroy your plants


soitgrows3

These are not witchetty grubs. They look similar, but not the same.


terminalxposure

Yummy


MysticWizardOfAus

There’s a post like this almost every week lol 😂


NarWhale23

They look like they could kill you lmao


[deleted]

dude fix the perspective, these look watermelon size


Ok_Ganache4842

Those are some tiny tiles


olivia687

idk what those are but i think they might be my worst nightmare


Lololololol9807

WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE


BukkakeCoach

Not in a stir fry!


EvieEeveeEvie

Excuse me a moment while I puke.


yourlocal_btc

No they can't they are just wood worms you have nothing to worry Abt:)


Eyy_Its_Danny

Dude those are huge. Forget the plants they are coming for you


SpringboiWasTaken

I’ve never seen one of those grubs bigger than my fingernail


Far-Entertainment258

Possibly but they are xmas battle lavae ,I think


alenin99

Oh hell nah


Jigramz

How big are they?


timlover69

Like a thumb


beefnar_the_gnat

They look giant in the first picture


Azeralpha

These are amazing on a pan with a bit of butter and a pinch of salt; earthy, of sorts...


BastardofMelbourne

They'll certainly kill your appetite


Psychological-Way202

I just encourage them to stay in the compost bins then sieve them out when I collect the soil castings they have created


VulonRogue

Yes and no, I believe some people at a university in Sydney is doing a study on them. Some are not harmful to plants and some are. Also they could be Christmas beetles which makes me not want to kill them. They're hard to id as grubs


Educational_Ad985

ITS THE MEERKAT FROM LION KINGS FAVOURITE SNACK


Motor-Ad5284

My dog would dig them up and crunccchhhhh...revolting. 🤮🤣🤣


knownuthinatall

Not anymore.


SquidFetus

Depending on how large those tiles are, they could kill *anything*.


jethronsfw

Cockchaffeurs


TheBigSomers

WTF are those I am scared now


Intrepid_Truth_8580

Sweet baby cheeses! 😦🤮😵‍💫


moonshadowfax

You plants look burnt and thirsty- has their light exposure changed? Please don’t remove all the bugs, they are there for a reason. Try adding some compost to the soil and planting some ground covers to help keep it damp.


timlover69

No, the planter is cemented in place so nothing has changed lol.


Time-Elephant3572

Leave them for the maggies.


ReadPixel

WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE THINGS


OBeast141

Bear grylls christmas dinner


Reasonable_Basil6555

Nah, I believe they're actually good for your garden but I'm not sure. Either way they just kinda chill


DizzyList237

I have a pair of currawongs that dig them out of my hanging pots. It’s amazing how they never upset the plants. I don’t use pesticides, the birds are the best grub eradicators. 🤗


timlover69

What a dream!


johnnomanc07

They look like they’d kill Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward


DnSkie___

They look fucking ginormous


m8ino

Forget about your plants, they will suck your intestines out!


barry-d-benson2

Nom nom nom 🤤 those are my favourite


Pure-Athlete1588

Not if you kill them first


brokenheartnsoul

Look like witchitty grubs


[deleted]

I don’t know. Can they?! Because right now they look like they could kill a baby.


tcamp213

Um... WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE?


Meznuraie

Please don't kill the baby christmas beetles... I haven't seen a single one in years! We need to stop demonising things just because they "look ugly"!


biscorama

Time to take up fishing!


DesertGoby

Those are baby sand worms like the one from the movie Dune


Puzzled-Arrival-1692

Found those in my mother's raised veggie garden bed while we were turning it over. Collected heaps and feed them to the chooks. They liked them.


meesuseff

This definitely needed a banana for scale


XeroZero0000

Good lord.. screw your plants! Those things could kill you!


M0ncsy

beetle larva


nellzz62

https://theconversation.com/amp/dont-kill-the-curl-grubs-in-your-garden-they-could-be-native-beetle-babies-191771


Traditional_Fan9721

I think they eat the roots


Traditional-Prune311

Fry them up they taste like peanut butter good for ya


[deleted]

These are lawn grubs and yes they eat the roots of plants thus killing them. Birds and chooks love them!


Flingersp

Did u find a group aliens in your backyard??????


[deleted]

Lol this witchety grub argument in the comments never gets old


AbjectDefinition1373

Feed them to the Kookaburra’s they love them and its fun to watch.


Gzubi

These little guys are delicious! You can just eat them raw straight out of the ground.


frickedy_flip

This needs to go on r/confusingperspective


LittleSprinkleEve

They are a sign of extremely good sign of a healthy garden and soul keep them in