cockchafers!

[MaineChick218]

Last year I had a pretty serious cockchafer( big nasty grub, looks like stag beetle larva) issues with my potatoes. I lost close to 25% of my harvest because of them. Has anyone here had experience with them before, and do you have any organic/natural solutions? I plan obviously to plan the potatoes as far away from the spot they were in last year, but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to decrease the chances of this happening again without using harmful chemicals.

 

[DeniseCharleson]

Is there any reason why diatomaceous earth wouldn't work on them? That's my first choice for grubby invaders.

 

[MaineChick218]

I don't know of any reason why not, not sure why I hadn't thought about this before- I've got a big bag or organic/food grade in the shed that I use to sprinkle in the chicken coop- I have not ever used it in the garden- suggestions about how much to use?

 

[baymule]

I don't know of any reason why not, not sure why I hadn't thought about this before- I've got a big bag or organic/food grade in the shed that I use to sprinkle in the chicken coop- I have not ever used it in the garden- suggestions about how much to use?

All of it! I hate tater eating grubs!

I had grub damage to my sweet potatoes last summer, and I dug and dug and practically sifted the soil to get them. I fed them to the chickens. I planted red potatoes there in February and didn't see very many at all, so maybe it helped. We'll see..... Good luck with your potatoes!

 

[MaineChick218]

I'll tell you what, you won't ever hear me swear as much as when I go into the garden and find some bug has been eatting my veggies! I let spiders live in my house, and catch and release other bugs that get in, but if it's eatting my produce, it's going down! I find it quite rude

 

[Denim Deb]

OK, I'm confused as to what type of beetles you actually have. I looked up cochchafers, and all the info I found said they're in Europe.

 

[Emerald]

I'll tell you what, you won't ever hear me swear as much as when I go into the garden and find some bug has been eatting my veggies! I let spiders live in my house, and catch and release other bugs that get in, but if it's eatting my produce, it's going down! I find it quite rude

I hate spiders in the house(make hubs or son take them to the garden) but deal with them in the garden cuz they don't eat my produce.. but I also hate those critters that take a bite or two of my veggies and out of every stinking one! I've been training a crack force to deal with the invasion!

She finds them and has me pick them for her and then they go to the

 

[MaineChick218]

OK, I'm confused as to what type of beetles you actually have. I looked up cochchafers, and all the info I found said they're in Europe.

hmm maybe they are not cockchafers?? Let me post a pic- last year when I was trying to figure out what they were, that is what I came up with.

Ok I guess I don' t know how to post a picture here! let me figure this out!

 

[MaineChick218]

hoping this works!

 

[MiracleWik]

Looks like a may beetle to me. This one looks just like yours. http://www.torange.us/animals/insects-and-spiders/May-beetle-larva-in-the-ground-20463.html