[Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page

[Olin Miller]

----- Original Message ----- From: <gilliancro at msn.com>
> [...]
> What are the approx 2 inch long,curled up,white,slug things buried in my 
> compost heap? Are they harmful to anything? (They are not borer beetles as 
> I saw their photo.)Thanks for a reply.
===========================================

Sounds like a June beetle scarab.  Pretty common in compost but I usually 
see them in the spring,  maybe because that is when I empty the compost 
bins.  I actually believe they help break up the compost and have not seen 
any harmful effects but in some climates thay are said to eat roots, 
primarily turf, but also sometimes garden vegetables.  I usually pick out 
the grubs and put them in a tray next to the bird feeders.

Sometimes called a fig beetle so they must also be harmful to some portion 
of fig trees.
Photo of the grub at
http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/common/images/b-txt/bimg141.html
although mine tend to be whiter and more uniform in diameter throughout the 
length..

Photo of the adult at
http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/common/images/b-txt/bimg139.htmlle 
with "
Adults tend to be a metallic olive color and I oftgen see the shells of the 
adults under shrubs.

For more info, Google with "Cotinis nitida" if this sounds or looks like 
your grub.

Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer, Maricopa County AZ