Q.infestation of Trictena atripalpis
I have an infestation of Trictena atripalpis. Should I treat my lawns and, if so, with what? There are dozens of the pupal skins poking up from my lawn. Are these a pest? Should I treat or ignore them?
theficuswrangler
Answered on June 10, 2014
If you're seeing the pupas in the ground, the trictenas are gone. The grubs feed underground, mainly on red gum and belah trees, then they pupate and hatch into the adult moths in the fall. Apparently one female can lay tens of thousands of eggs, so you may be seeing the work of only one moth. The grubs are supposed to be really good for fishing, and both the grubs and the adults were eaten by the aboriginal people. But I can't find any evidence that they're dangerous to lawns and gardens.
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