Ox beetle larva revealed

While breaking down two compost piles and a hugelkulture garden bed, my friend Jeremy and I uncovered loads of ox beetle larva. These grubs will mature in Jeremy's yard. Before they transform into North America's largest beetle, I hope to sell my house so I can buy an RV and travel full time. Read more about that on my blog "Welcome to Where We're Going."

Ox beetle larva feed on decaying organic material. Buried oak logs, part of a moisture retention technique known as hugelkulture, attract adults who mate and lay eggs. The grubs burrow into the logs, creating the deep pits visible in the upper right of the photo. After nearly a year, the plump larva metamorphose into giant horned beetles.

Lady bug larva

Lady bug larva remind me of gila monsters. Orange and black armored beasts that devour anything they can catch.

June bug larva vs ox beetle larva

June bug larva, left are pale white and get no bigger than about an inch or so long before they pupate then become adults. Ox beetle larva, right, are darker in color and have a series of distinctive reddish orange dots along their sides and grow to many times this size -- about 4 or 5 inches -- before being ready to metamorphose into the largest beetles in central Texas.