Why Are There So Many June Bugs In Louisiana?
Louisiana residents have June bugs all over the porches and carports. I'm one of them. These things are everywhere! At night, we can barely get in our back door because they are flying erratically back and forth near the light or all over the ground upside down, trying to flip over.
What gets me is that they are called June Bugs or sometimes called May Beetles, but they come out in March. Did they not get the memo? Have you ever wondered that same thing? Furthermore, how did those names/nicknames even come about? Because they make such a mess, I researched how long we must put up with them and found some interesting facts about this flying nuisance.
WHAT ARE THEY?
Dr. Midhula Gireesh, an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee's Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, said the beetle is a Phyllophaga. This is a very large genus of New World scarab with more than 900 species! They are not poisonous or toxic to people and pets and do not bite.
HOW DO YOU GET RID OF THEM?
When you start seeing them, wait five to six weeks before you start treating your yard. The experts at Today's Homeowner recommend treating your yard with Bifenthrin or imidacloprid, which works best for killing adult June bugs. Carbaryl is the best pesticide to use to kill the larvae/grubs. These insecticides all attack the central nervous system of the beetles in different ways.
WHY ARE THEY ALWAYS UPSIDE DOWN?
Because of their big bodies, June bugs can only fly for short distances. They are not good flyers or landers, so they crash a lot. Every once in a while, a gust of wind will flip them over.
Most of the time, they fly into a wall or something, fall to the ground, and land on their backs. Their legs are too small for their bodies and not strong enough to flip them right side up, so that's why they die. These beetles are nocturnal and are attracted to the lights on our porches and carports.
HOW BIG CAN THEY GET?
June bugs range in size and color. Their color varies from reddish-brown to almost black. Some are just over half an inch long, while others can grow to one inch long. Their color varies from reddish-brown to almost black.
They can also be a bug problem for farmers and home gardeners as will feed on fruits and berries. They can be a threat to your backyard nibbling on your lawn or turf grass.
WHY ARE JUNE BUGS OUT IN MARCH?
The warm spring-like weather has drawn them out early. Adult beetles are on their mating flight and looking to lay eggs in the dirt. When the larva hatches, the grubs feed off of the grassroots in our yard. When May and June roll around adult beetles emerge from the soil and feed on plant leaves.
WHY DO JUNE BUGS COME OUT IN JUNE?
When the hot months of May and June roll around adult beetles start emerging from the soil to feed on plant leaves.
WHEN DO JUNE BUGS GO AWAY?
June Bugs typically leave at the end of summer around August to early September. While the life cycle of adult June bugs comes to an end, their larva continues to feed on plant and grass roots underground, until the next spring.