While annoying to deal with, June bugs are generally harmless to humans. However, if these abundant beetles are attracted to your home in large numbers, you may be asking just how to get rid of June bugs. June bugs derive their name from the fact that they emerge as full adults from the ground just as spring is ending and summer begins. The best way to deter June bugs from becoming a problem is to make your lawn as unwelcoming to their larvae as possible. Continue reading to learn more about June bugs and how to protect your property from an infestation.
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What are June Bugs?
The June bug, sometimes referred to as the June or May beetle, belongs to the plant-eating Melolonthinae family. These reddish-brown beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere during the early summer months. It’s during these months that you may notice destruction to your lawn. They are especially attracted to thick, lush lawns with thatch. It can be frustrating, but a heavily fertilized lawn is the prime environment for June bug grubs.
What Does a June Bug Look Like?
These heavy-bodied beetles vary quite a bit in size. They range anywhere from .5 to 1 inch (12-25 mm) and have shiny, hard wing covers. Oval in shape, red to brown in color, they don’t have many distinguishing features to set them apart from other beetles.
A female June bug will lay her eggs in several different groups, totaling up to 200 eggs for the season. As a way to protect them, she buries her eggs below the surface of the soil. On average, between 2-10 inches down. The eggs mature within 2-3 weeks then come out of the soil in the warm
summer months when food is abundant. The larvae go through 3 instar stages of shedding their skin to accommodate their growth. Feeding on roots and decomposing matter, the larvae kill your plants from the bottom up. Constantly needing larger amounts of food to sustain their growth through this second stage, June bug larvae are extremely destructive.
When winter comes and brings freezing temperatures, the larvae burrow back below the surface to stay warm. Depending on the species of beetle, the larvae will pupate in preparation for adulthood. Now an adult, the
beetles aren’t confined to merely roots and will start feeding on nearby plants such as shrubs, fruit trees, and garden vegetation.
What Do June Bugs do?
While a June bug won’t hurt you with a sting or bite, their eating habits are harmful to your garden plants, yard, and lawn. Inactive during the day, they come out in the evenings and are attracted to light sources. As mentioned earlier, June bug larvae are extremely harmful to your lawn. If an infestation gets out of hand, larvae can kill large patches of your lawn, leaving sections dry and brown.
Classified as chafers, June bugs feed on leaves and other vegetation such as flowers, fruit, wheat, and corn. Nocturnal, they avoid being seen by predators by eating from dusk to dark.
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Are June Bugs Attracted to Light?
June bugs are known to be attracted to sources of light. Front porch lights or even light coming from inside your home, are enough to draw them in. More than being harmful, June bugs in large numbers can be very frustrating when you want to enjoy an evening on the porch. Even the sound of them bumping into your windows all night can be irritating to say the least. It’s still somewhat a mystery as to why insects like moths, mosquitoes, and beetles are drawn to light. Scientists have several theories but haven’t been able to settle on which one is the most correct.
Do June Bugs Bite?
June bugs are harmless to humans and don’t bite. While that fact is comforting, no one is excited to hang out with these beetles. It’s never fun to have any insect flying around your head and potentially getting caught in your hair. One simple way to limit June bugs outside your home is to replace your bright white porch lights with a more dim yellow bulb. Insects are less drawn to a more subdued glow than the brightness of white.
What Do June Bugs Eat?
After making their way above ground, adult June bugs go searching for food. Adults tend not to need as much food as in their younger stages because they aren’t growing as rapidly. Fortunately, they don’t typically eat enough of a single plant to cause serious damage.
June bugs primarily feed on:
- Leaves
- Plants
- Shrubs
- Fruit Trees
- Grass
- Roots
- Decomposed Organic Matter
- Garden Vegetation
How To Get Rid of June Bugs
All the beetles one might consider a June bug can be treated in a similar manner. The key to getting rid of them is to destroy the young that are making themselves at home underneath your soil. You can apply an insecticide to your lawn and soil to kill the June bug grubs. Simply apply an insecticide, such as Sevin, to your lawn and water thoroughly. Applying milky spore to your soil should also kill the grubs.
Finding ways to attract small toads, frogs, and harmless snakes to your yard is an organic way to approach your June bug problem. Predators to the June bug, any of the three mentioned will naturally help solve your beetle problem.
Conclusion on How to Get Rid of June Bugs
If you’re struggling with June bugs or other pests in Texas or South Carolina, we can help. We have locations in Dallas, TX, Sulphur Springs, TX, Charleston, SC, and Greenville, SC. At Vinx Pest Control, we know every suburb has pests they deal with. It can take calling the professionals to get the job done. We take our pest control seriously. That’s why we offer a complete satisfaction guarantee. If you’re still seeing ants, ticks, or other insects in between your quarterly service, give us a call and we’ll come out to treat your home again.