Tips: What you can do against the June bug

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Finally: Even in the evening, the air outside is pleasantly warm, the air smells of grilled food, the end of the day starts with a wine glass in your hand. But there’s also a loud buzzing… The June beetle goes out foraging at the first twilight of summer and gets so close to people that it lands directly on the face, neck or wine glass. But that’s not all: a relative of the chafer in the garden is a real nuisance. What can you do against him? We answer the most important questions.

What is a June bug?

The June beetle, technically known as the ribbed fallow beetle, belongs to the scarab family and is a close relative of the May beetle. However, chafers are found from April to June, preferably in May, while June beetles fly through the air with a slight delay between mid-June and the end of July. To avoid predators, June bugs are mostly outside at dusk and evening hours. They are common in much of Europe, Asia, and also North Africa.

What distinguishes the June beetle from the May beetle?

Both the May beetle and the June beetle often fly in swarms and infest all types of plants and trees in search of food. -The maggots live in the soil for up to three years and during this time they prefer to feed on the surrounding roots, which causes the plants on the surface to dry out. Not only wild and ornamental plants are affected, but also lawns, such as lawns.

Visually, the June beetle is very similar to the May beetle, but there are differences. The most striking thing is probably its size. With a length of up to 18 millimeters, the June beetle is only half the size of its “big brother”. In addition, its brownish body is significantly lighter and more hairy.

What attracts June bugs?

After successful mating, the female June beetle begins to lay eggs at the end of July. For this, they usually choose light sandy soils. There, the larvae hatch after about three weeks and begin to develop from larvae to adult animals. This process depends on outside temperatures: the warmer it is, the faster the development proceeds. Once the June beetle is fully developed, it has only four to six weeks left to reproduce.

Is the June bug dangerous to humans?

The June beetle is harmless to humans, both as a larva and as an adult insect. Cannot bite or sting. But this is always annoying because the June bug disappears from the scene only in mid-August.

What can you do against the June bug?

Almost nothing can be done against the annoying flight of June beetles on summer evenings. After all, animals travel in large herds, so special insect traps that can be purchased in specialized stores will not help. Usually only one thing helps: wait. June beetles usually go on their way in search of other plants after a while.

The chances of fighting with the larvae of the June beetle are more successful. Infestations are usually only visible when plants die over a large area and cream-colored maggots appear underneath. Then it’s time to act.

Chemicals are less recommended for this, as they can also harm the health of plants and other animals. But there are certainly useful natural tools and methods to prevent maggots in the garden.

• An effective preventive measure is to take care of the lawn as well as possible to achieve a dense lawn. This makes it difficult for the June beetle to lay eggs. It may be helpful to place a grass protection fabric on the ground. This is a sturdy netting used under the lawn, which can prevent not only the spawning of various insects, but also molehills. However, this is associated with rather high costs.
• After the garden has been infested with maggots, the use of nematodes of the roundworm genus has proven itself. They penetrate the larvae and release a bacterium that kills the maggots within a few days.
• Some types of fungi can also be effective against maggots. They are harmless to other creatures and can be easily cultivated using special barley grains.
• Attracting maggots’ natural predators such as mice, moles or birds can also be beneficial. Adult June beetles are on the bats food list.
• A garden tiller should be used if no other measures help. All plants and creatures in the soil, including the June beetle maggots, are killed to a depth of ten centimeters. This method should be used as a last resort as it will take a long time for the soil to recover.

Source : Blick