Mud Grub

Mud Grubs Pale blue with a distinct grey-brown head, these thumb sized beetle larva will damage the young shoots of mudgrains and other wetland grasses. In the wild, they are prey to a host of fish, amphibians, and birds, which are less numerous in agricultural wetlands. Their depredations can ruin entire crops, so the grain patties are diligently raked before planting to remove as many as possible. Some people even eat fried mudgrubs, supplementing a meagre spring diet with needed protein. The adult phase of this agricultural pest is a long bodied beetle with a brown-blue irridescent shell. These emerge during the first of the dry months. The adults produce a unpalatable acrid musk which deters depredation. Adults remain active until the first autumn rains, at which time they mate and lay their eggs which winter in the soft mud.