June Bug invasion!

[journey11]

We came outside this morning to do some yard work and my entire front yard was swarming with green june beetles. They were everywhere! I tried to get video of it, but all I captured was lots of blur from me running and screaming. Ha.

We used to play with them when we were kids. Tie a string to their leg and let them go in circles for awhile. One or two are fun. 100 of them are NOT!

I never really thought much of them before, but with so many now I had to wonder...what are these guys going to eat? I googled it and turns out they really like peaches, apples and grapes. I don't have any apples this year, but my peach tree is loaded. Probably too late to bother bagging the tree. They'll probably be after my blackberries too. :/ I think I'll fill up the kiddie pool and hope that some of them will drown themselves like they did last year (the pool was always full of beetles.)

Appearantly, the larvae like to burrow in manure and that's where they all came from. Besides all the manure we've hauled in, my next door neighbors have 5 cows and 4 horses and lots of manure, so it's damage control from here on out.

 

[4grandbabies]

They are eating my roses!! Also, they seem to like the tree leaves ,not just the fruit.

 

[gardentoad]

Can you post a mug shot,so I will know the vermin to look for.


Don

 

[journey11]

They're huge! About the size of the tip of your finger. Here's a good pic and more info in this link... http://www.ugaurbanag.com/content/green-june-beetles Says they prefer decaying matter/overripe fruit.

I've brought in a lot of manure this year, but all of it is still hot. I've not seen any larvae in it when I unloaded it. It surprises me that the majority of them were in my front yard, which has very poor dirt. They must have all hatched out today!

I do see the grubs a lot when I turn my older compost pile though. The grubs are big too, about an inch long and fat. They are usually curled up. My chickens love them!

I hear that if you have a lot of grubs, you'll soon have a lot of moles since they like to eat them. I've had a lot of mole damage on the back 40 this year, which is closer to the neighbor's pasture. I won't complain about the livestock though. I really enjoy watching the horses out my window. I guess that's the price to pay for it though. That and a lot more of those annoying black flies!

 

[nachoqtpie]

*shudder*

I HATE HATE HAAAAAAATE June Bugs!!!!

When I was young my dad had one of those electric bug zappers and a june bug got in there and I SWEAR the thing smoked for 5 minutes....

Ever since then I just go OMG! Even being electrocuted they're almost indestructible!!! I know it's illogical... I just can't help it! I FREAK out when they're around.

 

[hoodat]

Motorcycle riders hate them. If you get hit by one when you're riding fast it feels like someone threw a rock.

 

[Southern Gardener]

I thought the bugs you were talking about were the kind we have here! UGH! They are SO not! The June bugs we have are smaller and brown, and the only thing they seem to love is swarming the outside lights at night. I've never seen them eat anything! That big nasty bug you have journey would send me screaming into the night!

 

[curly_kate]

I always called those Japanese beetles. They are all over our grapevines, and some of my flowers. I hung up some of those bug bags yesterday, and then took a tip from someone here or on SS where they suggested feeding them to the chickens. Just drop them in a pail of water so they can't fly away, and then put the pail in with the chickens. It was bobbing for beetles in the run for a bit yesterday.

 

[so lucky]

That big green June bug is the kind we used to tie a string to when I was a kid. I haven't seen them around here for years (another thing for "so lucky!") The kind we have here that I am catching with the trap are the smaller irridescent green beetles. I have about 3 cups frozen so far!

 

[curly_kate]

So lucky - what are you freezing them for?