Controlling Grubs in the Lawn. Grubs eat the roots of a variety of plants and in large numbers can become pests damaging pastures and crops. Later in the summer, the grubs hatch and immediately begin to feed. All June bug species are considered scarab beetles, all start out as a larval form known as "grubs," and all appear as adults in the garden in late spring to early summer. As they grow and feed in July, the females begin laying a series of 60 eggs under the soil. While "June bug" is most popular in some regions, in others, "June beetle" or "May beetle" may be used. They are bigger than the adult beetles and, if straightened out, can be up to 18mm (almost ¾in) long; Chafer grubs, dung beetles and stag beetles all have similar looking grubs. Cockchafer, May bug or doodlebug? If you see 6 or more grubs in each area, it may be time for action. When they are numerous, then can damage lawns, gardens, and crops. Figure 5. 'It does pretty much the same thing,' Hine said. White grubs are the immature stages of May or June beetles, commonly called “June bugs.” There are more than 90 species of scarab beetles in Texas that are considered to be white grubs or May and June beetles. Adult cockchafers only live for about 5 or 6 weeks. Noticeable damage to the turf doesn’t occur until late in the second year. Beetles, like Japanese and chafer beetles, emerge in early summer, feed on plants in the garden, and lay their eggs in the soil in the lawn. It’s always easier to prevent a grub problem than to wait until the damage is done and you have to deal with an infestation. And search more of iStock's library of royalty-free stock images that features Beetle photos available for quick and easy download. ... or that it helped you learn something new. Larval May beetles (grubs) eat roots and decaying plant material in the soil. Cockchafers have whitish triangles on their sides, hairy bodies, reddish-brown wing cases that meet in the middle and orange fan-like antennae. They range in size from 12 to 35 mm (0.47 to 1.38 in) and are blackish or reddish-brown in colour, without prominent markings, and often rather hairy ventrally. True white grubs are the larvae of May beetles (also called June Beetles) found in the genus Phyllophaga, of which there are over 100 different species. Museum Coleoptera Curator Beulah Garner said a warm spell will bring them out early. UNL web framework and quality assurance provided by the, Congratulations to Rogan Tokach (Master's student co-mentored by Dr. Turfgrass - May/June Beetle Grubs | Department of Entomology British wildlife is under threat. Usually the first signs of grub infestation are localized areas where strawberries in a larger bed or field are failing to thrive. Their larva (lawn grubs) live in the soil eating on the roots of grass and other organic matter leaving it dry, brown and dead. ... July, hatching into a white grub which lives underground. We are a charity and we rely on your support. During that time, they look for a mate and fly into the tree tops to feed on leaves. First Year. Then you may need to apply a grub preventer for lawns. Infested turf turns brown and is easily pulled up by hand. The animals and plants that make our island unique are facing a fight to survive. The May bug or doodlebug - Latin name Melolontha melolontha – known as the Spang beetle and Billy witch in Suffolk and the chovy, mitchamador, kittywitch or midsummer dor in Norfolk, is actually the Common Cockchafer. Eggs are laid in the soil during the flight stage of June beetles. They fly at dusk on warm evenings, making a noisy hum, and are attracted to light. Discover some standout British beetles, including a particularly vibrant ladybird and a rare rainbow-coloured leaf beetle. But Stuart Hine from the Museum’s Identification and Advisory Service (IAS), who is often asked by the public to identify them, confirms that they most certainly don't sting. Adults are 2.5-3cm long, and are common in the south of England and the Midlands. Get email updates about our news, science, exhibitions, events, products, services and fundraising activities. June beetle, (genus Phyllophaga), also called May beetle or June bug, genus of nearly 300 species of beetles belonging to the widely distributed plant-eating subfamily Melolonthinae (family Scarabaeidae, order Coleoptera). If you’ve been treating your lawn with a grub preventer and killer for a few years in a row, it may be time to stop until you see the signs of grubs … What bugs me is that distros appear to have just grabbed the very latest changes directly from grub master rather than waiting for the grub maintainers to release a new version ( last one is grub … Cockchafers are also called May bugs because of the time of year when they tend to emerge. ), and the green June beetle (Cotinis nitidaLinnaeus). This can result in dead patches. Get a jump on things by applying Roundup® For Lawns Bug Destroyer early in the spring or summer, before the grubs hatch. Privacy notice. Plants may wilt or become stunted. Adult beetles are nocturnal bugs and do not appear during the day, making detection difficult. iStock Maybug Grub Stock Photo - Download Image Now Download this Maybug Grub photo now. © The Trustees of The Natural History Museum, London, Discover the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity. Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled. 'We would usually expect to get 100 or more calls from people wanting to know what this peculiar creature is,' said Hine. 103 Entomology Hall Lincoln, NE 68583-0816. Find out more. These red-brown beetles commonly appear in the Northern Hemisphere during warm spring evenings and are attracted to lights. A classic lawn grub or white grub is a whitish C-shaped larva of a beetle (such as June beetles) that are about ½ inch in length. These beetles usually appear around late April – early May and can frequently be seen and heard flying into lit windows and even lamps indoors! Hedgehog habitats are disappearing, porpoises are choking on plastic and ancient woodlands are being paved over. We use cookies to make your online experience sweeter. Understanding and protecting life on our planet is the greatest scientific challenge of our age. Although they are known as bugs, cockchafers are not true bugs, which belong to another group of insects that includes shield bugs, water bugs, aphids and scale insects. To treat the grubs that cause lawn damage, you can apply an insecticide, like Sevin, to the lawn and then water the lawn to get the insecticide into the soil, or you can apply Bacillus thuringiensis or milky spore to the soil to kill the May bug larvae. They especially like cereal crops and grasses and can do a great deal of damage. The rest are feeding on dead and decaying organic matter and aerating the soil as they travel. You do not need to apply grub control every year successively unless you see grub damage. The cockchafer, colloquially called Maybug or doodlebug, is the name given to any of the European beetles of the genus Melolontha, in the family Scarabaeidae. Preventing Problems: Adult cockchafers can be collected and removed from gardens when they are flying during May-July. Both the adults and the grubs can cause landscape damage. They can be larger than the adults, growing to up to 4cm and are a food source for owls and bats. GrubEx1 prevents turf damage by killing grubs when they are young before they can cause turf damage. June bug insects can be controlled though with a few steps. In autumn they seek somewhere to hibernate. This handsome chap is the Common cockchafer, also referred to as the May bug, the Spang beetle or the Billy witch. Grubs burrowing into the soil Man taking photo of white grub of … Seen for the first time, an adult cockchafer, or May bug, can cause a bit of a stir and people can be worried by them. True bugs that can fly have wings that usually overlap when folded, instead of meeting in a mid-line as cockchafer wings do. The larval grubs often cause yellow patches to appear on lawns where they are feeding on the roots. Discover the bioluminescent beetles putting on night-time light shows in Britain. Conservation status. Phyllophaga larvae and other larvae of the family Scarabaeidae are often referred to as white grubs, including larvae of the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman), annual white grubs (Cyclocephala spp. Find out about the plants and animals that make the UK home. She said, 'They've certainly been seen in April this year around the country.'. It isn't actually a bug and doesn't only fly in May, but the UK's  largest chafer beetle is easy to spot. The name cockchafer means 'big beetle' in Old English. For many, the Museum is a place that inspires learning, gives purpose and provides hope. Despite the mounting pressures, hope is not lost. No matter the size, every gift to the Museum is critical to our 300 scientists' work in understanding and protecting the natural world. Adult May beetles eat plant leaves (the genus name, Phyllophaga, means “leaf eater”) and flowers. White Grub Life Cycle. This is a smaller species that usually emerges at the beginning of June and is common around the date of the summer solstice, 21 June. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-identify-cockchafer-may-bug.html ‘They sometimes mistake chimney stacks for tree tops and occasionally fall down chimneys into open fireplaces,’ Hine said. Thank you. The larva of important pest of plant, grub of May beetle Common Cockchafer or May Bug Melolontha melolontha, close up of white. Milky spore is a spreadable bacteria known as Bacillus popilliae that can be used … The cockchafer is sometimes known as the doodlebug. Larvae nematodes can also be applied to the soil to kill May beetle grubs. What are June Bugs? In late June or early July, according to Cornell University, beetles begin to leave the ground and feed on other bugs and plants. For the best control, a basic knowledge of life cycles is important. To reverse the damage we've done and protect the future, we need the knowledge that comes from scientific discovery. Let’s look at what are June bugs and how to get rid of June bugs. 'They have a segment called the pygidium at the end of their abdomen, which is long and pointed,' Hine said. As such, it may be worthwhile for homeowners to be just a little warier on account of skunks and raccoons. Every year, more people are reading our articles to learn about the challenges facing the natural world. Another common species to look out for is the summer chafer, Amphimallon solstitialis. Adult Cockchafers are found on and around trees and shrubs in gardens, parks, field hedgerows and woodland margins, feeding on leaves and flowers. 'Then after dark, they are attracted to light and can get caught in lamp shades.'. Now we're wondering if you can help us. They are often attracted to lights at dusk. Use Milky Spore. And you can help. Our future depends on nature, but we are not doing enough to protect our life support system. The larvae are called rookworms, because rooks are said to be particularly fond of them. Because of the buzz of its flight, this nickname was used for Germany’s V-1 flying bomb in World War II. Chafer grubs can be found in the soil under the loose turf. 'It flies around tree tops, nibbles leaves as adults and eats roots below ground as a larva. Most turfgrass-feeding white grubs in Texas, such as the June beetle and southern masked chafer, require 1 year to complete their life cycle (a 2-year cycle is suspected in a portion of the grub populations in north Texas). From as little as £2, you can help us to find new ways to protect nature. They live in the soil for about three years eating plant roots. Cockchafers, Melolontha melolontha, are relatively large beetles belonging to the scarab family. Product #: gm94763229 $ 12.00 iStock In stock May/June beetle eggs White grubs go through complete metamorphosis, which is a four-part life cycle including egg, larval (grub stage), pupal, and adult phases. It is also prone to falling down chimneys.'. We are closed until further notice. Their biologies are similar, but they differ in distribution, habitat preference, length of life cycle and seasonal occurrence. Adult cockchafers are one of the top enquiries to the IAS during May. The larvae, sometimes called rookworms, live in the soil and eat the roots of vegetables and grasses. 'It looks vicious but is actually a tool for females to lay eggs into the ground.'. Adults bury themselves under the dirt during the day, reports the University of Missouri. The beetles typically lay their eggs during mid summer in sunny areas of the lawn. The grubs are white and C-shaped with six legs and reddish-brown heads. Museum scientists are working hard to understand and fight against the threats facing British wildlife. Shetlar added, “If there are four to five grubs per square foot, that’s usually enough for them to be digging around.” Grub Control. Autumn Smart and Dr. Judy Wu-Smart) on being awarded a $10,000 national Christi Heintz Memorial Scholarship by, Apply to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Give to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Emerald Ash Borer Look-Alike Insects Sheet, Research Publications on UNL Digital Commons, Entomology Hall (Plant Industry Building) History, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. A number of plants can also be damaged in this way. The May beetle, Phyllophaga congrua, requires 2 years to develop. Cockchafers spend most of their lives (three to four years) underground as larvae, or grubs. Once grubs are established, what can you do about it? The grubs that are as large as your thumb are the beneficial and interesting rhinoceros beetles. We must act on scientific evidence, we must act together, and we must act now. They have stout white bodies curved in a C shape, light brown heads, with three pairs of legs at the head end. Although one of their common names is the May bug, if climate conditions are right, adult cockchafer beetles are often seen flying in April. This large flying beetle, also known as the may-bug, it is easily recognisable with its feathery antennae, pointy abdomen and mahogany coloured wing cases, and can be spotted between the months of May to July. May Bug: UKSI May Beetle: UKSI White Grub: UKSI Classification unranked Biota kingdom Animalia phylum Arthropoda subphylum Hexapoda class Insecta order Coleoptera family Melolonthidae genus Melolontha species Melolontha melolontha. Common names for this genus and many other related genera in the subfamily Melolonthinae are May beetles, June bugs, and June beetles. We use them to help improve our content, personalise it for you and tailor our digital advertising on third-party platforms. Common white grub species belong to the genus Phyllophaga, with P. crinita being particularly co… Annual Use Can Help Control Japanese Beetle Infestations Grubs and other listed insects can cause extensive damage to lawns by feeding on grass and its roots. June bugs, also known as the June beetle or May beetle, can cause damage to many landscape plants and be a pest to the home gardener. They are fat, creamy-white grubs with brown heads. The larva of the May/June beetles, also called May or June bugs, are white c-shade grubs that have a three year life cycle. You must be over the age of 13. Many grub worms are beneficial. Only about 10% of the grubs in the soil are plant root eaters. 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