Bundaberg canegrub

Bundaberg canegrub is confined to the Bundaberg-Isis area, usually in forest loam and light clay-loam, and some sandy soils. It is often associated with other species (mostly with negatoria and Childers canegrubs, and to a lesser extent with southern one-year canegrub).

Adults of Bundaberg canegrubs are bright red-brown with uniform puncturing across the upper surface. Each puncture has an elongated white scale about as long as the puncture. The antennae have only a small club. Adults of southern one-year canegrubs are a similar colour but these do not have punctures or scales on their upper surface, and have large antennal clubs. Bundaberg canegrubs have a raster with two single parallel rows of about 15 short hairs, with no clear gap between rows; it appears ‘zip-like’.

Damage
Feeding larvae prune sugarcane roots. By the first autumn stools may become loose in the soil. Crop damage becomes most evident in spring and early summer. Crop losses are mostly due to reduced water and nutrient uptake through the impaired root systems and, in severe infestations, stool death. Severe weed invasion accentuates loss. Stool-tipping may occur in autumn, in semi-mature or mature cane.