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The Green June Beetle
is a rather large colorful scarab beetle. Adults are about one inch in
length. They are flattened on top and somewhat wide in the "shoulders."
From above they appear dull velvety-green and yellow-brown. Their sides
and under parts are brightly colored with metallic bronze, green and yellow-brown.
 There
are two species of Green June Beetles. One is found from the Great Lakes
area, south to the Gulf of Mexico. The other in found in the South, from
Texas to California. This Southern species is often called the Fig Beetle.
Adults
are attracted to fermenting juice and they feed on fruit damaged by birds
and other insects. They are commonly found feeding on over-ripe fruit
such as figs, peaches, plums, grapes, and pears. Large numbers may be
found feeding in clusters, on a single decaying fruit. They will also
feed on the foliage of numerous trees such as pecan and peach.
The females of these
Scarab beetles are attracted to and lay their eggs in areas of high organic
matter, such as piles of decomposing plant material and manure.
The
larvae are creamy-white and have a prominent brown head. They are C-shaped
and when full grown are about two inches long. When moving about on the
surface of the ground the larvae crawl along slowly on their backs. The
larvae feed predominately on decaying plant material but will feed some
on live plant roots. They can damage plants by digging up the soil causing
the roots to dry out.
Green
June Beetles spend the winter as larvae, deep in the soil. Adults emerge
from the ground from June to August. They have only one generation each
year.
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