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In late autumn and during winter, they retreat down from the top 5 cm of soil and burrow down between 50–200 mm into the soil. During this phase, the grubs undergo a colour change from grayish/white into a yellow/cream colour. Once they reach the appropriate depth, the grub empties its stomach and starts to form a smooth oval shaped cell.
Maladera formosae, commonly known as the Asiatic garden beetle and formerly known as Maladera castanea, is a species of beetle in the family Scarabaeidae.It is native to Japan, China, South Korea, North Korea, and Russia but was introduced to North America in the 1920s where it is considered a pest of turfs, gardens, and crop fields.
The grubs hatch by late July. The grub population consists mainly of first instars in early- to mid-August, second instars by early September, and third instars by mid-September to early October. In frost zones, the grubs feed until November, then move deeper into the soil. In frost-free areas, the larva will feed all winter.
A scarab beetle grub from Australia. The C-shaped larvae, called grubs, are pale yellow or white. Most adult beetles are nocturnal, although the flower chafers and many leaf chafers are active during the day. The grubs mostly live underground or under debris, so are not exposed to sunlight.
In many climates, cutworms will winter under the soil, either as final instar larvae or as pupae. This affords farmers an opportunity for control. Winter ploughing will kill many of the pests, and expose many more to predators. In suitable areas this is a powerful means of control, for example in grain fields. [1]
However some species are predatory, including those in the genus Arachnocampa of family Keroplatidae – the "glowworms" of Australia and New Zealand. [ 1 ] The adults are 2–8 millimetres (0.08–0.3 in) long, and are occasionally pollinators of plants and carriers of mushroom spores. [ 2 ]
The grubs will grow to about 40 mm (1.6 in) and are white with a brownish-black head and brown spiracles along the sides of the body. The larvae will molt twice before winter. The fully grown larva color is glassy yellowish white shading toward green or blue at the head and tail.
Particularly well known species include Holotrichia serrata which is a serious problem in sugarcane cultivation and Holotrichia consanguinea which is a problem in groundnut cultivation. [2] Holotrichia parallela is known as the "dark/large black chafer" or "Asian cockchafer " and is a serious agricultural pest of sweet potato, peanut and ...