Tree Grubs

Peach Tree Borer

• The Peach Tree Borer is a moth which, in its larval or grub stage, often causes massive damage or death to the trees it invades. In addition to attacking peach trees, the Peach Tree Borer's hosts include the cherry and plum tree. The best way to prevent tree damage from the Peach Tree Borer is to apply appropriate insecticides to the outside of the tree when the insects are still in the egg or have recently hatched. Once the Peach Tree Borer burrows into the tree, it is more difficult to control, although it is sometimes possible to kill them by placing moth balls made with paradichlorobenzene (PDB) around the trunk.
  
  

Dogwood Borer

• Like the Peach Tree Borer, the Dogwood Borer is a moth that is often very destructive to trees in its grub stage. Besides dogwood trees, this borer's targets include pecan, oak and plum trees, and it is a particular scourge of apple growers. The Dogwood Borer enters apple trees through burrknots, rough patches of exposed root where the bark is more penetrable. Applying white latex paint to vulnerable portions of apple trees is one way to prevent Dogwood Borer infestation, and pesticides help control existing populations to prevent tree death.
  
  

Bronze Birch Borer

• The Bronze Birch Borer is a beetle in its adult form, but it is the larval grubs that damage and kill the birch trees they infest. One sign that a birch tree is a victim of this insect is a thinning of the upper branches, or crown, as the Bronze Birch Borers gradually destroy the tree's vascular system. If infestations are identified early enough, pesticides provide a chance of saving the tree. Once infected, though, birch trees often die within two to three years.
  
  

Witchetty Grubs

• Eaten by many people in Australia, Witchetty Grubs are typically the larvae of the Ghost Moth, but the name is also sometimes used for the grubs of other moths or beetles. Their use as a food source predates European exploration of Australia, and one traditional Aboriginal method of obtaining them is to use long sticks to fish them out of the holes they bore into trees. Variously described as tasting like chicken, scrambled eggs or peanut butter, Witchetty Grubs can be eaten raw and alive or cooked; some Australian supermarkets even carry canned Witchetty Grub soup.