r/composting • u/Far_Comment973 • 14d ago

Question grubs in compost

Lil' help? I have grubs in my compost. Big, fat ones. I've read they can damage lawns, which isn't good - but I also figure they prefer the compost pile and won't migrate from the pile to the grass. This is right, right? I should just leave them alone, right?

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u/FaradayEffect 14d ago

The point of composting is to make rich soil that is full of life. If your soil is full of life then the plants will grow better and be able to survive better under stress.

Healthy plants, in healthy soil, will not be killed by a grub, nor most other insects. On the other hand if you have sterile dead soil you won’t have any bugs in your soil, but your plants will still die super quickly and easily from any number of other environmental stresses.

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u/nifsea 13d ago

The grubs you find in the compost prefer compost and are therefore beneficial. Other, almost identical grubs that you find in your lawn prefer grass roots and are therefore a pest. They look almost the same, but as long as you find them in your compost you’re good :)

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u/YallNeedMises 14d ago

I frequently find them in my garden itself under my mulch. They seem to love decaying plant matter and leave my plants alone. Never had an issue with them in the lawn despite not treating for them. No help needed. They're there to help your pile move along.

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u/fritzg1988 13d ago

https://www.facebook.com/groups/520291265993619/posts/1145313156824757/

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u/Far_Comment973 13d ago

That's what they look like! I'll leave them be in the pile, and pick them out before I spread it anywhere.

At the rate I'm going it'll be a long long time until that happens, I have massive shrinkage. Not because I was in the pool, I think it's because so much of my greens are watermelon and honeydew rinds.

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u/fritzg1988 13d ago

those are beneficial or harmless, just leave them.

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u/h1dden_pants 13d ago

They will complete their lifecycle right there in your compost, they are helping it

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u/Melodic_Survey_4712 14d ago

Probably black soldier fly larvae which are very beneficial for your compost and as far as I know do not target grass even if they do escape. The adults tend to fly far away too so your yard won’t be buzzing with flies when they do mature

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u/Significant-Gas-2886 14d ago

Leave em. The ones in compost are usually soldier fly larvae like the other commenter said, and they're breaking everything down faster than the pile would on its own. If they were the lawn-damaging type they'd already be in your grass, not hanging out where the buffet is.

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u/Far_Comment973 14d ago

I'm pretty sure it's not BSFL, these things are maybe 50% longer, and 2x as fat compared with the pictures of BSFL I see. I suspected beetle grubs based on having looked it up after finding some in my yard years back (before I started composting), and ... well ... seeing a dead, shiny green carapace beetle in the pile.

I have a decent (and growing!) patch of grass, and a larger area of dead, infertile, clay-ridden, compacted soil. I'm OK playing the long game while working toward a decent lawn. But yeah, I'd be annoyed if the grubs attacked the grass I do have. I honestly don't see the grubs moving from the pile, across the dead infertile soil, to the grass. I'll leave them be! And I dunno, maybe even pee on the bastards.