Curl grubs

What are they?
What do they do?
How do we get rid of the little sods???

Sorry I don't take pix but if you would like a few posted then just ask. They are the larvae of African black beetles a dirty white colour about 1/4 the size of a Whitchety Grub (Spelling) and curled around making a half circle. They live on or eat roots of plants specially feeder roots on roses. Without roots the plant will lose vigour and in dry times die.

How to get rid of them? Can be difficult for a no spray gardener. Recently at a Heritage Rose meeting a company called Organic Crop Protectants P/L presented a product for all chewing grubs and insects called ECO-neem.

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The Curl Grub Larvae has a cream body with a light brown head and they vary in size from 4mm to 40 mm when fully grown.The tail end of the grub may look darker brown which is due to the soil the grub has ingested during feeding. They are often incorrectly referred to as ‘witchetty grubs’. The grubs feed on plant roots in large numbers and curl up when disturbed. Larvae are most active during mid spring to mid summer, and can cause severe damage to lawns, gardens and potted plants. Reference Yates website.

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Add the recommended amount of Confidor to water in a watering can and mix thoroughly then follow the instructions on the container.

Eco-neem could be what we are looking for. Would really like to trial it and if worms are killed after application then I will put up with the Curl Grubs.

For the benefit of new members be aware of the dangers of using pestercides. I live in a agricultural area along side market gardeners, cut rose growers and plant propagators.
My wife was employed in the local medical field and we have witnessed an alarming amount of cancer among growers. Some did not use chemicals in accordance with instructions while others were very cautious. I used Lebaycid spray for stone fruit with Maldison splash baits and I'm still here. The worst case was a 24 year old rose grower who actually turned green all over, was rushed to hospital and died 3 months later. Another incidence was a grower spraying Carbaryl for Hibiscus beetles and killed just about every swallow in the district. No doubt they were building nests from mud under the roses.

If you must have perfect blooms then select chemicals wisely. Remember most pests only stay for a short time before moving on. Unfortunately every time I dig a hole or empty a pot Curl Grubs are nearly always present. The good news is I lose very few plants despite this pest being present in high numbers.

I think they are something I can put up with. Yes they can cause a problem but is the cure worse than the disease?

Can anyone tell me if Confidor kills worms? If so, then I won't use it.
Ozeboy, some scary anecdotes and a timely reminder that bigger and better blooms are not worth it if it means causing harm to ourselves or the environment. That's one of the reasons why I try to mix up my planting in the garden, using plants that attract birds and insects, and beneficial companion planting where I can. I try to use organic solutions but sometimes it's easy to get caught up in having a bigger and more beautiful garden, so thanks for reminding me about perspective.

Silky your philosophy is the same as mine , lots of different plants to attract lots of bugs , birds and insects and hopefully that takes care of the problems . Ozeboy some sad stories there ,i think we have all been used as guinea pigs by Monsanto and Co !!!

Although I use chemicals I do try to use Eco friendly substitutes whenever possible. One such product is Multicrop EcoGrub for the control of curl grubs. At this stage the jury is still out on the effectiveness of the EcoGrub.

Ausrose do you know if this is safe for worms and other beneficial soil organisms?

Silky, the people I mentioned suffering the effects of sprays were large commercial users. Great progress has been made manufacturing eco friendly sprays. The government has also made manufacturers withdraw a lot of problem chemicals.
I just wanted to alert new gardeners how dangerous chemicals can be. The worms and predator insects are a good guide as to how healthy your garden is.

You sure did alert me Ozeboy. I appreciate the horror stories were linked to much greater amounts of chemicals than the average gardener, but I like to think I can do my own tiny bit for my little bit of the environment. I'm amazed at the number of worms I found when digging up new beds recently, a good sign. Interesting to see different types of worms too. Praying mantis egg cases are here too so I don't have much of a problem with aphids fortunately. It's the fungal stuff that drives me bonkers.

Silky, you will find the Predator Wasps great for Aphids.
They lay there eggs or grub inside the Aphid which turns the aphid into a very small beige coloured ball.

I think everyone is driven bonkers by mildew and black spot so be very careful and buy healthy roses. Being advertised as the latest and greatest is no reason to buy it.
Roses get blackspot, it comes with growing roses, some are not effected greatly, others nearly die while others seem blackspot resistant. There are exhibition roses and garden roses, the choice is yours.

Silky
To date I haven't been able to find out whether EcoGrub affects beneficial soil organisms.

Thanks Ausrose for making the effort. Until I know more I'll hold off on drenching the soil with anything and watch Duet this season to see if it comes good.