Every now and then we get witchetty grubs in a plant pot and they eat through the roots of the plant causing the plant to die. They are white, maggot like, grubs that turn into moths and they will eat through wood or plant roots.
The plant in my chicken bucket was looking a bit sick. It looked as though a frost had got to it although it was supposed to be hardy. I decided to cut it back and when I touched it, it came away in my hand. It was just sat on the surface of the compost with no root at all. I delved into the compost with the trowel and sure enough there were the witchetty grubs.
We have lost a few pot plants this way. Usually I bin the compost because of the grubs but my husband suggested that I put it in the chicken run and let the girls have the grubs. He said it would serve the grubs right for eating our plant!
I put the compost in the run and the bigger girls soon ate all the grubs. The little girls had no chance.
The girls investigate the new compost
They soon pick off the grubs
I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of doing this in the the past. In future I will just give them to the girls. In Australia some people eat them, yuk! (I think they have much larger types). This means they are good enough for the girls.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
It is good the hens like these horrible bugs.
It is good. They like most bugs. They eat spiders when they find any in the run. Lady birds are poisonous to them and I have seen them ignore them so they know which bugs they can eat.