I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Are there any gardening enthusiasts that have ever watched I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here?

I was digging up a flower bed today and unearthed an enormous maggoty thing that looked suspiciously like the Witchety grubs they have on IAC - anyone know what it was and what happens when they do whatever these grubs do? (I'm a bit new to gardening so it all looks a bit alien and worrysome!)

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Is it a leather jacket? Crane fly larvae. They're greyish, horrible & eat roots of plants, devils to get rid of. Could be.....

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

No Twiz, it was sort of a creamy yellow colour with a weird reddish, but clear looking, sac and it was squirming, ugh - and it was as thick as a man's thumb! I got it on the trowel and threw it over the garden wall into the lane I just don't know what it was and there may be more, it's put me right off this gardening lark Vile thing.

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Most likely it was a stag horn beetle larvae, they like to burrow & chomp their way through old rotten logs & make me retch on the occasions I have encountered one, usually theres a whole bunch of them.
In my area they're a protected species.
Less likely is the larvae of the Devils coachman beetle.

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Hi Karen it sounds just like a Cockchafer grub *shudders*
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en...IqiP0AXgjICoDA

I am terrified of 'May Bugs' /Cockchafer Beetles, they give me nightmares..

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

When you're a gardener you've got a thousand and one enemies in the insect world.

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Have you tried the 'Garden Bioblitz 2013' website? very useful for identifying species.

Sorry I cannot link at the moment but the site is worth a visit

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Sorry Karen but I've never seen the "I'm a Celebrity" thing so I don't know what a witchety grub is, but the beast that you found could be many things and remember not all grubs are harmful and some can be positively beneficial, so it's a shame you couldn't have photographed it for us..

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

Many thanks for replying Robert - it was definitely a grub; I plucked up the courage and googled images so now I know it wasn't a beetle.

On the to the next suggestion and google (gulp )

Re: I'm A Celebrity Gardeners?

That's the one Meg (if not, it's a very close relative!). I've googled them and there's a way of getting rid of them and I've unwittingly encouraged them these past few years by not keeping the lawn in tip top condition Still, at least now I know how to remedy the problem and at least try to prevent them coming back next year. Many thanks Meg (I would put a smiley face but I'm still feeling queasy after looking at a picture of it ...)