what are these grubs in my trug

Hi, first post from a new member, hope I'm doing this right?

Back in September I was struggling against a number of nasty pests in my new veg trug, so it wasn't as straightforward to grow some salad as I had hoped. I had put some potato slices on a plastic lid to tempt away the baby slugs. When I lifted the lid one damp day I spotted dozens of approx 1cm grubs on the surface (it's a non-peat compost). I thought they might be leatherjackets? Thanks in advance anyone can give me a proper id on them

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They look like wireworms (because they appesr segmented, but it could just be the image quality) , and the worst infestion I've ever seen. Buried pieces of potato can be used as bait to attract them for removal. I'm assuming you're in the UK or similar and they're not an exotic pest.

But it's odd they are in a veg trug and not in their usual habitat of grassland. Can you google images of wireworms and if it's not them, take get a better picture of a single grub as there's something similar and flatter than a wireworm and greyish.

If soft and not segmented they could be leatherjackets, but I'm struggling with that image, but again it's odd to find them somewhere like a veg trug rather than a freshly dug over grassed area.

 

Welcome to the forum @John Mason ! That certainly looks nasty but you can trust any advice offered be @Scrungee

P.s. glad I wasn't having lunch when I looked at your post

 

Thanks for a quick reply. Yes, I'm in the UK. If I see them again this year I'll post another picture, and I'll try the buried potato.

 

Hi folks. I thought you might be interested to hear I made a positive ID on these grubs ... this spring my trug is full of St Mark's flies (Bibio Marci), so called because they emerge around St Mark's day, 25th April.

 

Hi @John Mason have you decided it's worth doing anything about them next autumn? From what I've read the larvae mostly eat rotting vegetation.