We were digging over the raised beds today and came across a few of these things in the soil. What are they? They look like a large bean but I think they are some kind of pupae
All my life I have called these leather jackets and believed they were the pupae stage of the Crane fly...common name Daddy Long Legs. Cranefly | Also Known As Daddy Longlegs - The RSPB However researching on www the eggs turn into larvae which look like this... Quote RSPB...."The dull brown larvae, known as leatherjackets, are pests. They feed on plant roots," Leatherjackets Pest Alert! European Crane Fly Introduced to Maine - Green Thumb Lawn Service Quote BBC...Then the pupa have rows of spines along their sides which enable them to move up and down within the soil during wet and dry periods. crane fly pupa emerging - Google Search: Crane Fly Pupa, and a Medley of Possible Adult Forms | The Backyard Arthropod Project European Crane Fly No where on www is there a life cycle where they turn into pupae that look like your pic. ....researching on www I found a link that says they belong to a moth. Can anyone ID this? - Identify this - Wildlife - The RSPB Community I am left very confused. How can we all have got it so wrong for all these years.
Thank you both. The pulpae were removed and disposed of, and by the sounds of it, that's a good thing
What is so sad is that for years I squashed these thinking they were leather jackets and not good for the garden. Surely I am not alone on this erroneous thinking.