"Sarah" wrote in message
.. .
That's big for a vine weevil. But there are other white grubs -
chafer??? - also baddies. Have they any legs?


My golden rule in the garden is: If it moves quickly it is almost
certainly a predator and thus welcome; if it undulates or wriggles
(except for garden worms) it is almost certainly a pest and is fed to
the chickens.


ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing
birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and
have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i
can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

Water the entire allotment every 10 days with a solution of Armillotox
that will kill any unripened vine weevil eggs and a lot of other nasties too

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

ok, got it, its a baddie. I did squish it and leave it for any passing birds
so that was ok.
But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.
How long vine weevil grubs get to be? Even with my poor sense of space i can
confidently say this was much longer than 6mm.
What is a chafer? And is there anything i can do about these grubs?

If it's what I think it is, it's some sort of scarab, maybe one of the
chafers and very common. Don't worry. If you come across one, feed it to
the birds.

I don't expect you'll have 'an infestation' - expect to find one every
two or three spits. I guess they live on grass roots, so if you deprive
them of grass, they *MIGHT* turn their attention to vegetable roots, but
I doubt it. (Unless you grow sweetcorn, of course.)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.

Chafers and Vine Weevil grubs are smaller than cutworms, growing about
3/4" long. They are creamy in colour with a dark head and are generally
found in a 'C' shape in the ground. Cutworms are longer, creamy brown
with brown shiny heads. Cutworms are about 1½" long. Leather Jackets
are another form of insect larvae that you will come across in grassy
ground they can also do some damage and need to be removed. They are
greyish, about 1½" long and live among the grass roots just below the
soil level almost at the surface.

The old fashioned method of control was Bromophos powder but the powers
that be decided that it worked too well and so banned its sale in the UK
g These grubs tend to be a pest in newly worked grassy ground. I
have two acres and each time I open up a new patch I have to remove the
offending beasties by hand but the hens enjoy a feast of wrigglies. I
feed them to the hens whole and alive, their feeding mechanism responds
better to a wriggling thing than a squashed one. You will tend to find
cutworms in groups of half a dozen or so nestling in the plant roots
upon which they feed, but they fall out of the soil as you turn it so
they should be easily found. Just pick them out and destroy them.

Keep a look out for Wireworms, also found in newly turned ground. They
are about 1/2" to 3/4" long, yellow and as the name suggests, wiry.
Wireworms do much damage to roots, especially spuds.

I find that gardening books help with many questions and there are loads
to choose from at all prices. My particular favourite is one I bought
for 10p some years ago in a junk shop. It was published in 1920 and has
a good section on allotment gardening. However, no book can wholly
replace good advice from people with first hand experience such as you
will find in this news group.

Hope this helps,

Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "nambucca" contains these words:

Water the entire allotment every 10 days with a solution of Armillotox
that will kill any unripened vine weevil eggs and a lot of other nasties too


The problem with chemicals is that they kill indescriminately.
Armillotox is a great garden soil steriliser but it does exactly that -
kills everything. Remember, soil sterilizers are poisons and can harm
humans and animals as well as soil pests. IMO sterilizers should only
be used as a last resort. Gardening is a hobby and there can be much
satisfaction gained from picking out the pests oneself and feeding the
birds with them :-)

--
Cheers,
Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.

Chafers and Vine Weevil grubs are smaller than cutworms, growing about
3/4" long. They are creamy in colour with a dark head and are generally
found in a 'C' shape in the ground. Cutworms are longer, creamy brown
with brown shiny heads. Cutworms are about 1½" long. Leather Jackets
are another form of insect larvae that you will come across in grassy
ground they can also do some damage and need to be removed. They are
greyish, about 1½" long and live among the grass roots just below the
soil level almost at the surface.

The old fashioned method of control was Bromophos powder but the powers
that be decided that it worked too well and so banned its sale in the UK
g These grubs tend to be a pest in newly worked grassy ground. I
have two acres and each time I open up a new patch I have to remove the
offending beasties by hand but the hens enjoy a feast of wrigglies. I
feed them to the hens whole and alive, their feeding mechanism responds
better to a wriggling thing than a squashed one. You will tend to find
cutworms in groups of half a dozen or so nestling in the plant roots
upon which they feed, but they fall out of the soil as you turn it so
they should be easily found. Just pick them out and destroy them.

Keep a look out for Wireworms, also found in newly turned ground. They
are about 1/2" to 3/4" long, yellow and as the name suggests, wiry.
Wireworms do much damage to roots, especially spuds.

I find that gardening books help with many questions and there are loads
to choose from at all prices. My particular favourite is one I bought
for 10p some years ago in a junk shop. It was published in 1920 and has
a good section on allotment gardening. However, no book can wholly
replace good advice from people with first hand experience such as you
will find in this news group.

Hope this helps,

Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "nambucca" contains these words:

Water the entire allotment every 10 days with a solution of Armillotox
that will kill any unripened vine weevil eggs and a lot of other nasties too


The problem with chemicals is that they kill indescriminately.
Armillotox is a great garden soil steriliser but it does exactly that -
kills everything. Remember, soil sterilizers are poisons and can harm
humans and animals as well as soil pests. IMO sterilizers should only
be used as a last resort. Gardening is a hobby and there can be much
satisfaction gained from picking out the pests oneself and feeding the
birds with them :-)

--
Cheers,
Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.

Chafers and Vine Weevil grubs are smaller than cutworms, growing about
3/4" long. They are creamy in colour with a dark head and are generally
found in a 'C' shape in the ground. Cutworms are longer, creamy brown
with brown shiny heads. Cutworms are about 1½" long. Leather Jackets
are another form of insect larvae that you will come across in grassy
ground they can also do some damage and need to be removed. They are
greyish, about 1½" long and live among the grass roots just below the
soil level almost at the surface.

The old fashioned method of control was Bromophos powder but the powers
that be decided that it worked too well and so banned its sale in the UK
g These grubs tend to be a pest in newly worked grassy ground. I
have two acres and each time I open up a new patch I have to remove the
offending beasties by hand but the hens enjoy a feast of wrigglies. I
feed them to the hens whole and alive, their feeding mechanism responds
better to a wriggling thing than a squashed one. You will tend to find
cutworms in groups of half a dozen or so nestling in the plant roots
upon which they feed, but they fall out of the soil as you turn it so
they should be easily found. Just pick them out and destroy them.

Keep a look out for Wireworms, also found in newly turned ground. They
are about 1/2" to 3/4" long, yellow and as the name suggests, wiry.
Wireworms do much damage to roots, especially spuds.

I find that gardening books help with many questions and there are loads
to choose from at all prices. My particular favourite is one I bought
for 10p some years ago in a junk shop. It was published in 1920 and has
a good section on allotment gardening. However, no book can wholly
replace good advice from people with first hand experience such as you
will find in this news group.

Hope this helps,

Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "nambucca" contains these words:

Water the entire allotment every 10 days with a solution of Armillotox
that will kill any unripened vine weevil eggs and a lot of other nasties too


The problem with chemicals is that they kill indescriminately.
Armillotox is a great garden soil steriliser but it does exactly that -
kills everything. Remember, soil sterilizers are poisons and can harm
humans and animals as well as soil pests. IMO sterilizers should only
be used as a last resort. Gardening is a hobby and there can be much
satisfaction gained from picking out the pests oneself and feeding the
birds with them :-)

--
Cheers,
Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "Sarah" contains these words:

But i am a bit worried i have an infestation. It is a new allotment and have
no idea how bad these grubs might be.

Chafers and Vine Weevil grubs are smaller than cutworms, growing about
3/4" long. They are creamy in colour with a dark head and are generally
found in a 'C' shape in the ground. Cutworms are longer, creamy brown
with brown shiny heads. Cutworms are about 1½" long. Leather Jackets
are another form of insect larvae that you will come across in grassy
ground they can also do some damage and need to be removed. They are
greyish, about 1½" long and live among the grass roots just below the
soil level almost at the surface.

The old fashioned method of control was Bromophos powder but the powers
that be decided that it worked too well and so banned its sale in the UK
g These grubs tend to be a pest in newly worked grassy ground. I
have two acres and each time I open up a new patch I have to remove the
offending beasties by hand but the hens enjoy a feast of wrigglies. I
feed them to the hens whole and alive, their feeding mechanism responds
better to a wriggling thing than a squashed one. You will tend to find
cutworms in groups of half a dozen or so nestling in the plant roots
upon which they feed, but they fall out of the soil as you turn it so
they should be easily found. Just pick them out and destroy them.

Keep a look out for Wireworms, also found in newly turned ground. They
are about 1/2" to 3/4" long, yellow and as the name suggests, wiry.
Wireworms do much damage to roots, especially spuds.

I find that gardening books help with many questions and there are loads
to choose from at all prices. My particular favourite is one I bought
for 10p some years ago in a junk shop. It was published in 1920 and has
a good section on allotment gardening. However, no book can wholly
replace good advice from people with first hand experience such as you
will find in this news group.

Hope this helps,

Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.

The message
from "nambucca" contains these words:

Water the entire allotment every 10 days with a solution of Armillotox
that will kill any unripened vine weevil eggs and a lot of other nasties too


The problem with chemicals is that they kill indescriminately.
Armillotox is a great garden soil steriliser but it does exactly that -
kills everything. Remember, soil sterilizers are poisons and can harm
humans and animals as well as soil pests. IMO sterilizers should only
be used as a last resort. Gardening is a hobby and there can be much
satisfaction gained from picking out the pests oneself and feeding the
birds with them :-)

--
Cheers,
Compo - poster welcomes constructive criticism.