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Common Ground  Digital Gardener San Diego Gardener |
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Digitalseed IndexDigital ComposterWorldwide Gardener |
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Common Ground Digital Gardener San Diego Gardener |
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Back to... What is Compost?
Ants |
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Green Fruit Beetle LarvaeIn the late summer and early fall, the Green Fruit Beetles (a large mettallic green beetle) lay their eggs in compost piles and other decomposing plant litter. The larvae are fairly large (about 2 inches), C-shaped, pale translucent white with dark brown heads. Because of their large size, the larvae can be disconcerting when found in the pile. Don't worry, the larvae are beneficial for the pile, breaking down large materials.Although the larvae do not damage plants in your garden, the mature beetles do eat soft fruits such as overripe peaches, plums and figs. Note: Although often mislabeled so, the Green Fruit beetle is not the same bug as the Japanese beetle, a smaller and more noxious garden pest not often found locally. [The only real problem is that grubs are a favorite delicacy for the skunks in my area and the damm things keep digging in my beds! If you live in a skunk-infested neighborhood, you might want to screen out these critters before adding the compost to your garden -- T.Tatum]
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