AusBonsai

Hi there I have just given my new Ozito a try on a Jacaranda stump which had much dead wood from many hard cut backs when it lived in my rockery....
Anywise I pushed and poked about 6 of these little buggers out of the old wood as I was sawing/carving.
Was aware that something was up when I found bundles of sago like wood balls.

I am happy to keep grinding and digging but can you help me with these Questions -

What are they?
Is there a chemical treatment for these grubs?
When finished carving should I use a wood hardener or ... I read somewhere PVA glue?
Will these critters only attack dead or rotting wood?

Along side this dead dog is my 1mm dia rapier.
Thank you for helping on my journey.
Cheers David

Looks like a curl grub to me
If so it must have eaten up from the soil into the trunk. Is it hollow all the way down to the soil?

Re wood hardener. No it is not PVA glue , It called "Earls Wood Hardener", available form the Big B.
Paint it on all the exposed wood

good stuff
Ken

Second the grub ID Ken I have heard rumours that Earls Hardener is just watered down PVA glue but cannot attest to this

Bougy Fan wrote:Second the grub ID Ken I have heard rumours that Earls Hardener is just watered down PVA glue but cannot attest to this

Nah doubt it cos PVA is water soluble. Earls is maent for marine applications so doubt it would be PVA?
Maybe because it is water based and looks like watered down PVA.

Ken

See if you can get one complete for a better ID.
I first thought they where not curl grub but a true wood borer as I have found in trees before.
Here we see a comparison of the curl grub Bougy and KC refer to as well as a "wood borer bug" I first thought it was.
In either case the easiest eradication is simply put, eradicate them. Remove all wood that they have entered/occupied. In my experience this is only dead wood so as long as you do not mind carving this wood away (as you seem to imply) the solution is simple. There are chemical solutions but I know nothing of them and I heard they are not very successful. I have 100% success taking this action on the couple I have had to deal with.

Thanks for the feedback .. would tend to lean to Brett's grubs they look pretty much like the ones I found.
Only got two more with drilling and poking .. mashed a bit like the one in the photo.
But on the other hand for Ken and Tony I sure did find a few curl grubs.
The curl grubs when disturbed seem to look up and say " Hey wazup dude" and just lay there whereas the wood grubs seem to say " Sh.t he might have a beak" lets move it (and they do).

Have drilled out all the worm holes and the dead wood with one exception one hole that goes 3cm down into the roots but with solid poking does not come out the bottom so I must fill this properly .. any suggestions please ??

Anyway here are a few pictures without any further explanation in chronological order.
Cheers David