June Bugs

The Cockchafer or "May / June Bug", as it is colloquially called, is a European beetle of the family of the dung beetles, the Scarabaeidae. Once abundant throughout Europe and a major pest in the periodical years of "mass flight", it has been decimated significantly in the middle of the 20th century through extensive use of pesticides and has even been locally exterminated in many regions. However, since a change in pest control beginning in the 1980s, its numbers have started to grow again.

The Cockchafer or "May / June Bug", as it is colloquially called, is a European beetle of the family of the dung beetles, the Scarabaeidae.

Cotinus Nitida - The June Bug, also called May Beetle, or July Bug - Any insect of the genus Phyllophaga, belonging to the widely distributed, plant-feeding subfamily Melolonthinae - family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera. 

These red-brown / green or even orange beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere during warm spring evenings and are attracted to lights. The heavy-bodied June beetles vary from 12 to 25 mm - 0.5 to 1 inch,  and have shiny wing covers (elytra). They feed on foliage and flowers at night, sometimes causing considerable damage. June beetle larvae, called white grubs, are about 25 mm long and live in the soil. They can destroy crops, like, corn [maize], small grains, potatoes, strawberries, and they can kill lawns and pastures by severing the grasses from the roots.

Each female buries between 50 and 200 small, pearl like eggs in the soil. After three years of feeding on plant roots, the larvae pupate, emerging as adults in August or September, then burying themselves again for the winter. In the spring the adults emerge once more and feed on available foliage. Adults live less than one year.

A natural enemy of the June beetle is the Pyrgota Fly larva - Pyrgota Undata, which feeds on the beetle, eventually killing it. June beetle larvae are considered excellent fish bait. 

    June Bugs   

  Cotinus Nitida  - Linnaeus 

The Cockchafer

Spring and Summer is the time when people begin to notice large bright green or orange bugs flying precariously through the air, and landing in their yard. These are generally called June Bugs and or May Bugs and even July Bugs. These being the three months that they are seen flying sorties over our gardens, and because they are bugs.

Genus Coleoptera), any of at least 250,000 species of insects - the largest order in the animal kingdom, principally characterized by their special forewings, which are modified into hardened wing covers - elytra,  that cover a second pair of functional wings. The order includes some of the largest and smallest insects and is the most widely distributed insect order. Most feed either upon other animals or upon plants, but some eat decaying matter. Some beetles are of great economic importance; both adults and larvae may destroy crops, timber, and textiles and spread parasitic worms and diseases. Other beetles are valuable because they prey on insect pests. Although the name beetle applies to all coleopterans, some are known by other common names—e.g., weevil, borer, firefly (see photograph), chafer, and curculio.

They are actually beetles, and it can be said that all beetles can fly, but they generally do not. These kamikaze bugs panic the  life out of a lot of people because at least once in our lives these quite large creatures crash into our heads and get tangled in our hair. The mere sound of that deep buzz is enough for some of us to faint. But they cannot hurt you; just give you a little scare, and start your arms flailing about around your head.

Adult and larval feeding on farm crops causes some financial loss; however, the grubs tunneling for feed and adults burrowing into the soil each night, can cause more serious damage. The tunneling disturbs and uproots young plants, nipping their life in the bud. The many exit holes of the adults and larvae resemble ant hills, and spoil lawns and golf courses.

Beetles have hard wing covers - The Elytra,  and are in the Genus Coleoptera -  the Beetle Family. 

True Bugs  - Hemiptera,  have exposed wings, the front wings being leathery at the base and membranous at the end.

Hemiptera any member of the insect order Heteroptera, which comprises the so-called true bugs. Some authorities use the name Hemiptera; others consider both the heteropterans and the homopterans to be suborders of the Hemiptera. This large group of insects, consisting of about 30,000 species, can be recognized by an X-shaped design on the back, which is formed by the wings at rest. A combination of features are sucking mouthparts adapted to pierce plant or animal tissues and a hardened gula, the underside of the head separate the heteropterans from all other insect orders. Although most species of Heteroptera are terrestrial, a few are aquatic. Some species, which feed on plant juices, are serious pests of cultivated crops; other species are predacious and benefit man by destroying various pests. There also are heteropterans that act as carriers of disease. Heteropterans can be divided into three large groups on the basis of general habitat: the water-dwelling Hydrocorisae - the water boatmen, back swimmers, water scorpions, giant water bugs, and creeping water bugs; the surface-swimming and shore-dwelling Amphibicorisae, the water striders, marsh and water treaders, shore bugs, and velvet water bugs; and the Geocorisae, a large group of land bugs - plant bugs, bedbugs, assassin bugs, anthocorid bugs, lace bugs, ambush bugs, stinkbugs, burrower bugs, stilt bugs, and fire bugs.

The June Beetle is 15 to 22 mm long with a dull, metallic green wings. Its head, legs, and underside are shiny green, and its sides are brownish yellow. The June Bug occurs mainly  in the Eastern United States. Green June beetles prefer ripening fruits on many plants. The grubs feed on decaying organic matter among roots of many grasses, as well as on the underground portions of other plants such as sweet potatoes and carrots.

EVOLUTION                 

TERMITES                   

RAINFOREST                    

Beetle Grubs can get quite large and can fill the palm of your hand. It is the grubs that do the most damage to farmers crops, and they must cost the world many millions of dollars each year. The Adult is a nocturnal insect, active at night, feeding mainly on favored plants, such as buds and flowers of shrubs and fleshy garden vegetables.

As in most insects, these beetles have a Four-Stage life cycle. Eggs, Larvae, Pupae and Imago - the Adult.

The life cycle lasts about twelve months, but the larvae, or grub as they are commonly known, can forage for food above and below the earth, for up to two years.  The grub will hibernate during colder winter months, deep in the ground, but will take the advantage of a warm winter day, to have a quick feed. Their activity increases in the spring, and when ready, depending on their age, size, and environment, they will pupate in burrows  several centimeters underground. The pupae stage lasts just under three weeks and the adults appear anywhere from May through to July and even August. 

In mid-summer, adults lay eggs underground, and each female lays 60 to 75 eggs over a period of about 2 weeks. When the egg is first laid, it is pearly white and elliptical - 1.5 mm by 2.1 mm. It gradually becomes more spherical as the larva or grub inside develops. Just under three weeks after the eggs are laid, they hatch into small, white grubs. The newly hatched larva is 8 mm long  - about one third of an inch. It grows 4 - 500%, to a length of about 40 mm or one and a half inches. 

It is off-white, with a brownish-black head, the grub has conspicuous brown spiracles along the sides of its body. The larvae will molt their outer skin twice before winter. The third larval stage lasts nearly 9 months, after which pupation occurs. 

 The brown pupa, approximately the same shape as the adult, becomes metallic green just before the adult emerges. It is about 15 mm long and 15 mm wide

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