You’ll want to know to get rid of June bugs and for good reason.
Grubs wreak serious damage on the roots of lawn turfgrasses and other plants.
Fortunately, all of these beetles can be handled in much the same way.
The Spruce / Ellen Lindner
What Are June Bugs?
The Japanese beetle and figeater beetle are both commonly mistaken for a June bug.
What Months Are June Bugs Most Active?
Flying June bugs go away around June or July after laying their eggs.
What Attracts June Bugs?
They can also be more prevalent in a landscape where lots of chemicals are used.
It begins when adult June bugs lay 75 to 100 eggs underground in early to midsummer.
Larvae emerge from the eggs after 18 days and become grubs, the most damaging phase to your lawn.
Depending on the species, the grubs can spend one to three years underground, chewing plant roots.
During the winter, grubs burrow deeper into the soil and hibernate before becoming active again in the spring.
The grubs form pupae that hatch into new adult beetles the following spring as the cycle repeats itself.
When you see flying adult beetles, the cycle of eggs androot-destroying grubsfollow.
Trapping adults will stop the reproduction cycle.
But if you have larger numbers of grubs, trapping adults won’t be sufficient to control the population.
Apply Beneficial Nematodes
Nematodes are microscopic soil worms that feed on the larvae of various insects.
They are increasingly popular as a natural, non-toxic control for various damaging pests.
If applied too early or too late, the system will be wasted.
Mix the nematodes with a garden sprayer, and then apply to a wet lawn in the evening.
Immediately water the nematodes thoroughly so the solution drains down into the soil.
It may take several years of repeated treatment to bring severe infestations under control.
The fastest and most effective chemical remedy is to apply a product that contains carbaryl or trichlorfon in September.
These are contact chemicals that will kill grubs and prevent them from pupating into adults.
check that to water in these chemicals thoroughly.
However, be aware that these are preventive insecticides that kill only the newly hatched grubs.
They will not kill mature grubs, eggs, pupae, or burrowing beetles.
Larger birds will eat adult June beetles, and some species may dig up and eat the grubs.
Large bats are nocturnal feeders that often consume June bugs.
The presence of small predatory creatures such as toads and snakes can help control June bugs.
Yes, June bugs eat both the petals and foliage of yourplanted roses.
Beneficial nematodes and milky spores are both natural remedies for June bugs.
June Beetle.TAMU Extension Entomology.
June Beetle.TAMUExtension Entomology
Green June Beetle in the Landscape.
NC State Extension Publications.
Carbaryl - US Environmental Protection Agency,US Environmental Protection Agency.
Carbaryl General Fact Sheet,National Pesticide Information Center.
Trichlorfon Facts | Pesticides | US EPA,United States Environmental Protection Agency
