Hi there, I had a bag of thistle seed outside that got torn open (by squirrel or bird, I don't know) and the contents strewn about on the patio. It has been raining a lot, and the seed is starting to rot and has gotten quite odorous.
I was trying to sweep it up, but I noticed as I moved the pile of seed around, there were lots of grubs and ants in it. As I uncovered the grubs, they quickly squirmed to get under the seed and be hidden again. It was really gross. I would like to know what on earth these critters are before I exterminate them - because for all I know it is some wonderful creature. Thanks!!
CLOSED: Yucky grub things in my thistle seeds
I cannot be certain, as I cannot see an entire individual in any of the photos, but these might be larvae of soldier flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae); they will occur in just about any accumulation of decaying organic matter - we often find them in our compost pile. See http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/soldier_flies for some examples.
It is so creepy.... but thanks!! I guess I'll just leave them alone, they are just taking care of business
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