Q: When turning my compost pile, I uncovered a number of big, fat grubs. They were about the size of my thumb! Are they harmful? A: These are most likely the larvae of fig beetles (Cotinis mutabilis).

Pest damage on our beautiful rose blooms rankles deeply, but it motivates us to take the appropriate actions to put the culprits to rest. Two types of pest beetles are annual regulars in our San Diego ...

Pest damage on our beautiful rose blooms rankles deeply, but it motivates us to take the appropriate actions to put the culprits to rest. There are two pest beetles that are annual “regulars” in our ...

Q: My grape arbors are full of these bugs — hundreds of them eating my figs and grapes. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I shake the grape arbors and swarms fly out. Is there something we ...

Question: We have a Black Mission fig tree and a large green bug is eating the figs. At first I thought it was birds so I covered the tree with netting. When I checked the tree today I saw 4 or 5 ...

After writing about the fig beetle – a shiny green scarab beetle that feeds on overripe fruit and decomposing organic matter – I received the following email from Elizabeth Russell, who gardens in ...

Question: Last week I discovered more than 30 dead or dying fig beetles under a desert willow that grew from seed near the foundation of my home. We had decided to leave the tree, and it has grown at ...