Cockchafer Larvae

[laurab]

Roger was repotting a plant earlier when he found about a dozen cockchafer larvae in the bottom of the pot.

I put one in the CB Starlings aviary and the hen swooped on it, paraded it around in front of the cock bird then hid in a bush and ate it to herself ;-)

[Waxbillman]

great, free live food, sounds like vine weevils to me, nasty stuff to have around your plants roots as the buggers never stop eating them

Matthew

[Strawblady2000]

Sounds great!

Werent you starting your own mealworm colony too? I ask because I've set some outside and think Im going to just pitch them.

I didnt think about whether or not other parasites would get to them, hence getting into the birds when they ate the mealworms. I saw a few things flying around in the covered tray...must have got in through the airholes.


I bet that sounds odd.:oops:

[laurab]

Hi Nikki

yes I did start breeding meal worms AGES ago, all I have is beetles and I was only thinking today that they would be better off being fed to the Robins in the garden.

The Cockchafer larvae is disgusting, puts me in mind of those Witchetty Grubs you see the celebrities have to eat in the Oz jungle.....yeuk!!

I am just pleased to find something else that the Starlings will eat other than mealworms.

[laurab]

I have just looked to see how many 'grubs' are left and they are ALL gone !! :shock:

[Strawblady2000]

Must have been like a Thanksgiving feast for them, Laura!


Being lazy today...supposed to go into Austin to pick up some more live food...but havent quite made it out of the house. Schoolbus will be here soon, so cant go today.

Are they really bug grubs? I ask because those ones on the tv shows you spoke of are HUGE and nasty. Blech!

[Strawblady2000]

It's amazing...as you were posting that your birds ate ALL of the grubs...I decided to put some in with my new CB's...and they've just proven to me how hard it is going to be to keep up with them, lol. All the worms were eaten. Not the whole worm, but just the heads. Less than 5 minutes.

[laurab]

http://www.forestry.sa.gov.au/privateforestry/insect_fact_sheets/Fact_Sheet_html/Image46.jpgThis is what they look like and they are big, although not quite as big as in this picture.

I was so suprised they had all gone, the birds must be well stuffed now!

[Strawblady2000]

Okay Laura...that's pretty nasty.

LOL!

[Waxbillman]

your right then they are a chafer larvae of some kind, as weevil larvae don't have legs, either way they still eat the plants roots, it almost looks as if they are 2 different kinds there either way, free livefood for you starlings

Matthew

[laurab]

The other name for them is the May Bug.

[Strawblady2000]

Hmmm...no May bugs here...but we have an abundance of June bugs, lolol.

Seriously.

[PAUL HEARN]

Hi Nikki,

If your Cordon Bleus are eating only the heads of the Mealworms it may be better to offer them Mini Mealworms or Buffalo Worms instead, but better still large Flightless Fruit Flies.:wink:

Paul.:D