The grubs are deadly. When fig beetle eggs hatch, the grubs/larvae feed on decomposing material. Unfortunately, they also feed voraciously on the finer plant feeder roots.

I can draw a clear line from my phobia of flesh-eating beetles to The Mummy (1999), in which a CGI scarab beetle burrows into a man’s hand and crawls up his arm. Real scarab beetles, I have ...

The fig-eating beetle (Cotinis mutabilis), which resembles the shiny green june bug, chews holes in ripe, soft figs. • Gophers are a major problem for in-ground trees.