Mystery Grub........nothing to do with the local restaurant

[frexpt]

I've been splitting some ash logs from our own wood and they appear to be the home of little beasties like this.........

[IMG]http://i1228.photobucket.com/albums/ee448/frexpt/woodgrub101215a003-1-1.jpg[/IMG]

Compared to others I found before I had a camera with me, this is actually quite a small example.  I think they may be Horntail (edit) larvae, but I have read that they seem to favour pine rather than hardwood.........whether that is because the hardwoods are becoming scarcer, I don't know, but I'll bet that someone out there will know.............

Many thanks

[5-element]

Surely you can find it here

http://maria.fremlin.de/stagbeetles/larva-guide/index.html

courtesy of our good friend Chrispp - who doesn't seem to grace these shores no more.

[frexpt]

I don't think so.  These critters don't have any legs.  They are completely cylindical......

[basquesteve]

Its most likely a Longhorn Beetle I have found these in fire wood    Cerambyx cerdo

 

http://[IMG]http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/basquesteve/P8062392-1.jpg[/IMG]

[frexpt]

Thanks for the info.

Images of the larvae look very similar to the grubs I have found.  Capricorn Beetle, which makes sense, as, apparently, they are not uncommon around here, although I have yet to see an adult myself.

[woolybanana]

How can anyone mistake a €2 coin for a grub?[6]

[frexpt]

Nine days before someone made a comment about the 2€...........I didn't think it was ever going to happen!

[pachapapa]

The size of the larva compared to a € 2 coin suggests a Common Capricorn; the Giant Capricorn larva is at least twice as long. The larvae are reputed to consume rotten oak but at the moment I am burning some old poplar which both varieties seem to like. The Common Capricorn is fairly common, forgive the pun, they can reduce softwood to a hollow shell very quickly so should be discouraged.

Below an informative link to a french site explaining the big one.I sometimes find them at 7 centimetres; chickens adore them; they are protected.

http://www.insectes-net.fr/cerdo/cerd1.htm

[nectarine]

I'm glad this is explained, I found some when I cut down a rotten old willow tree and they were plentiful. My chickens must have radar ... they came charging up and were eating them as quickly as I found them and were pecking at the rotten wood to get inside and find the grubs. But the are seriously large, fat grubs, I'm sure the ones I found were much larger than those shown in teh photo.

[basquesteve]

The handsome devil eating rotten apples

 

 

http://[IMG]http://i941.photobucket.com/albums/ad251/basquesteve/P8072630.jpg[/IMG]

 

[TWINKLE]

Looks like my mother-in-law eating her puréed sweet potatoes yesterday [:)]

[woolybanana]

'Looks like', it is mine. Are they twins? Anyway, better keep quiet or you won't get any ohhhhlala tonite.

[pachapapa]

Nice shot of the Compound Eyes surrounding the feelers.

[Loiseau]

That grub in the original post couldn't be related to you could it, Wooly? Its shape puts one in mind of a banana...

Angela

[woolybanana]

Something of the nite about them?

[TWINKLE]

[quote user="woolybanana"]'Looks like', it is mine. Are they twins? Anyway, better keep quiet or you won't get any ohhhhlala tonite.[/quote]

You were right! Oh well better luck tonight [:P]

[Alan Zoff]

Check out timbers - especially roof - if they are capricornes. Look for the tell-tale oval holes, about 2cms long. Jab timbers hard with a screwdriver or similar every metre or so to test for hidden damage - the surface can look good until the devils decide to break out as flying insects after the grubs have been eating the insides for several years!

If you have capricornes in your area, treat the timbers whether or not they are infested yet. Prevention better than cure.

[frexpt]

This house is for sale at the moment and we have recently had the various diagnostique tests completed, including the termite report, which should highlight any other infestation.  When we bought in 2001, our own survey threw up some capricorn damage in external timbers, so we have been aware of their potential dangers and kept a wary eye on things.

However, I think many people are oblivious to the risks of storing firewood close to or within a house for any period of time.  Whatever comes into our house goes on the poêle pdq!