An article on June bugs!

 Jennifer, at the office, suggested that I should write an article on the drought and its effect on everyone, not just the farmers.  As I considered her suggestion, my thoughts reflected back to 2008.  That summer, Tennessee experienced a severe drought.  It was so bad that we scheduled a meeting to help farmers cope with the drought.  On the very day of that proposed meeting, it rained all day!  Funny how things happen!  So, this year, I am not writing an article on the drought.  Instead, I decided to talk about something that has always puzzled me.  Why would a bug that doesn’t show up until July be called a “June Bug?”

As a child, my parents were always looking for something to keep me entertained.  So, they introduced me to June bugs and all the fun you could have by tying a string to one of their legs.  Adult green June beetles are metallic green and nearly 1 inch long.  The body margins are bronze to yellow, and wing covers are sometimes a reddish brown.  These adult beetles emerge from the ground in July and August…not June!  These green June beetles have two main focuses in life…to eat and reproduce!  The adult beetle can be seen flying low to the ground early in the morning or late afternoon and will feed upon a variety of fruits, including berries, grapes, peaches, nectarines, apples, pears and figs. They also feed on the leaves of many crops and can completely skeletonize a leaf, only leaving the stem and veins of the leaf.  Mated females lay eggs in debris, showing a preference for moist soils.  Eggs hatch in 10 to 15 days.  The developing larvae feed on organic matter and other less fortunate insect larvae until reaching the third, overwintering stage.  The larvae overwinter, and the grubs which are cream-colored and can grow from 1/4 inch to 2 inches will come to the soil surface as temperatures increase in late spring.  Green June beetle grubs can sometimes be seen crawling around on their backs at night!    A heavy infestation of these grubs can be detrimental to your lawn as they feed on the roots and weaken the stand.  Damage to lawns can also be caused by skunks and raccoons while they are trying to find grubs to eat. They can claw at the soil, digging up patches of turf, and leaving mounds behind in the search for their meal.  So that’s a quick lesson on June bugs!  They might come out in June somewhere else in their adaptable zone from Canada to Florida…but not in Tennessee!  But, on the other hand, July bugs wouldn’t be near as catchy of a name!

I think this article turned out nice, no mention of the devastating effects of the current drought that we are experiencing and the effect that it will have on crop production, livestock pastures, second cuttings of hay, ponds drying up, or even the long-term consequences it could have on timber production! 

So, Jennifer, thanks for the suggestion, but I’m sticking with June bugs, and, if we are fortunate enough to have a drought-buster rain before this article comes out, none of us will complain!