Leatherjackets

[Birdie Wife]

I've got dirty brown-grey grubs in the top layer of my soil which I think are leatherjackets. They are about an inch long but some of the bigger ones are about an inch and a 1/4. Can anyone confirm one way or the other what they are (I can try and get a photo if possible) and how do I get rid of them? I think leather jackets eat roots which would explain why some of the plants that were in good health in my last garden are now looking like they're on their last legs !!

[Lesley Jay]

There are some photos of grubs and insects at www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/insects.htm If they are leatherjackets apparently if you water the ground and then cover it with black plastic they will come to the surface of the soil and you can then pick them off.

[Birdie Wife]

Hmm, the photo looks right, I'll try the black plastic trick but I just hope the birds get the little blighters before they wriggle back to their hiding places! There's not a huge density of birds in my garden because of the cat, unfortunately. Somehow I don't think she'd be too keen if I tried to feed HER the leatherjackets...

Good site though!

[rosheen]

If your cat can steal them she'll probably eat them. my cat stole some Melon pips and then "planted" them in newly dug soil I had loads of melon seedlings - Ro

[Birdie Wife]

Hey, might be an idea there! My cat has fairly ecletic tastes too, she has been known to relish roasted fennel and potato peelings, amongst others. And my ex-neighbours cat used to tuck into kiwi fruit.

[Bugeyes]

Just remember that leatherjackets don't have legs - if they did then they would be called leather trousers!

[andrewo]

Okay, I'm getting a reputation as a pests worst nightmare on here, I'm not squeamish about crushing them, I also smear them on top of my fence for the local birds. I know someone who used to put them in pots on the bird table and let the local flocks enjoy themselves. I told you, I am a bad bugs worst nightmare.

[nick the grief]

It's very satisfying squishing bugs isn't it Andrew I do it with slugs as well

[andrewo]

Nick, we should hire ourselves out, no bug too big the squish team are here!

[Birdie Wife]

I found one of them attached to a newly planted cabbage seedling this morning! Little beggar! THere are so many in the soil but unfortunately I think I realised what they were too late and now I've got most of my seeds/seedlings in the ground and I can't dig it over to find them all. I'll jsut have to get them when I can find them, and go for the bio control in the autumn. They aren't deep in the soil, but they're very well camouflaged! I collected up a pile for the birds but I didn't put them in a pot and I think they wriggled off the table before the birds found them. Oh dear...

[Bugeyes]

Be very, very careful out there boys - I once squished a large caterpillar that had been feeding on my lovely red chillies, got an eyeful of body contents and couldn't see for several hours! The insects will get you back.....

[Birdie Wife]

Depressed


No cabbage seedlings left. They were getting munched so I lifted the seedlings out, dug out a pile of leatherjackets and put the seedlings back again. And now there's nothing left of my cabbages. Likewise the salad crops that had sprouted. Am I going to be able to grow anything at all from seed? It seems there's nothing more I can do until the autumn now, and start again next year. At least I might get tatties, beans, garlic and some onions this year, but I had plans for lots of other interesting things. Maybe it's early days yet and I might be pleasantly surprised.

Had a nice conversation last night with a large dram of Highland Park though, didn't perk me up much but nevertheless...

[sewer rat]

Birdiewife
That's really bad news - is there no control you can use at the moment - I only ask cos when I was in my local GC at the weekend, a lady in front of me was asking about the same problem and Kev said he would order something in for her. If you want I might be able to find out for you and let you know if I get the chance to sneak on early next week

[Nicos]

Any spare hedehogs you can encourage into the area for future use? (once the babies have left the nest?)
Sorry to hear your news.
Leather jackets stop feeding may/june and then pupate .

Nemasys do a nematode control for leather jacket jackets if you can order on the internet,or pick up at a garden centre. You could them buy a few mature seedlings from the garden centres to replace your own. Maybe bugeyes can advise you on how soon you could replant. Good luck!

[Birdie Wife]

Sewer Rat - If there's a bio control I can use at the moment then I'd love to hear of it - but the advice I had before was that it had to be used in the autumn. Alternatively if they stop feeding next month anyway, as Nicos says, then I could hang on and sow seeds indoors for potting out in July.

Maybe there's some light at the end of the tunnel after all... thanks guys!