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Re: Re[2]: cutworms, grubs, Japanese beetles, June bugs

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Hi,
	Talk about confusion, in the East the Japanese beetle is about 1/2 to 5/8
inch long, and is iridescent red and blue.  I have not seen June bugs in
Northern NY, but in Conn. they were well over an inch long, brown or tan,
and probably had 10 times the volume of a Japanese beetle.  The June
beetles were rare enough that it was easy simply to break their exoskeleton
and they would die, the Japanese beetle was very different and demanded
soapy water or a kerosene bath.  The Japanese beetles eat anything green as
adults, roots of various things as larvae, and I never knew of any damage
by June beetle adults, but their larva also ate roots, particularly of
conifers.

John Ross  

----------
> From: swestaway@smtplink.Coh.ORG
> To: sqft@listbot.com
> Subject: Re[2]: cutworms, grubs, Japanese beetles, June bugs 
> Date: Wednesday, June 23, 1999 4:36 PM
> 
> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
> 
>      Hi Kim,
>      
>      Other members on the list might be more informed, but I too live in 
>      So. Cal. and this is what I think your bugs are. The iridescent ones

>      we call Japanese beetles, and they eat figs. Ours got to be
golf-ball 
>      sized and dive bomb you (we cut down the fig tree). I think that the

>      huge white grubs in our compost pile with the brown heads are their 
>      larva. The small tan flying beetles we call June bugs, and I've
never 
>      seen them do my veggies any damage, though other folks on the list
say 
>      they can. I imagine they damage my lawn though, as I've never tried 
>      the bioweapon to get rid of them. I don't know what their larva look

>      like, though it's probably similar to the Japanese beetle, but 
>      smaller. I don't squish the larva in the compost (except by accident

>      with the pitchfork) because I think they help digest the big pieces.

>      The damage the June bugs do to lawns can be seen by a brown, or
dead, 
>      patch. This hasn't happened to me, but maybe certain grasses have 
>      natural immunity or the proper feeding schedule helps them fight the

>      root damage.
>      
>      HTH,
>      Shawn
>      Claremont, CA USDA9b Sunset19
>      swestaway@coh.org
> 
> 
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Re: cutworms, grubs, Japanese beetles, June bugs 
> Author:  Kim Kiernan <kkiernan@home.com> at internet
> Date:    6/23/99 9:00 PM
> 
> 
> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
>      
> I'm confused.  Which are the irridescent green and bluish flying beetles 
> that are large (about half the size of a thumb).  They make a ton of 
> noise when flying around, and seem to like to dive bomb you.  I always 
> though these were June bugs, but my neighbor pointed out to me a small 
> brownish beetle, about the size of a ladies nail on her ring finger. 
> She calls these June bugs.  Neither one seems to fit your description 
> below.  Any ideas what these are?  
> Oh, and I do find big fat white grubs in my planting beds and in my 
> compost sometimes.  I squash these.  Is there any reason I shouldn't?
>      
> How do you know if you have grubs in your lawn? Do you have do dig up 
> part of your lawn in order to tell?
>      
> Thanks. Kim zone 9, sunset 23 so. cal
>      
> The Rosses wrote:
> > 
> > Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html 
> > 
> > According to "The Insect Guide" R. B. Swain, Japanese beetles are
Popillia 
> > japonica and the June beetle is Phyliophagea fusca - two very different
> > species.  Both are scarab beetles as is the Rose chafer Macrodactylus 
> > subspinosus and plenty others.  The adult of all three feed on garden
> > flowers and various leaves.  The only carpet beetle I find are not
garden 
> > problems.  The adult Japanese beetle is iridescent and fairly red, the
> > chafer is tan and the May beetle quite large.  The larva of all three
feed 
> > on roots and can cause all sorts of trouble - the May mainly for
coniferous 
> > trees, the others for lawn.  Bt on the lawn kills the grubs but it
takes
> > time - years, or you can knock the adults into a small bottle of soap
water 
> > or kerosene.  Cutworms includes a large number of species, but they are
> > mainly brown, gray or blackish - not white. 
> > 
> > The rose chafer may be fatal to children if eaten in large quantity -
just 
> > thought you would like to know.
> > 
> > John Ross, Northern NY
> > ----------
> > > From: Martha Wells <flylo@txcyber.com> 
> > > To: 'a square foot' <sqft@listbot.com>
> > > Subject: cutworms, grubs, Japanese beetles, June bugs 
> > > Date: Tuesday, June 22, 1999 10:48 AM
> > >
> > Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html 
> > 
> > I always thought those big white larvae (grubs) were also called
cutworms, 
> > and all are the young June bugs. Gardens Alive! catalog (which I can't
find 
> > 
> > at present) says that there are two bugs similar, the Japanese carpet
> > beetle and an ? Iridescent beetle? that, actually, if you eliminate the

> > June bug (Japanese beetle) grub, the other one is more voracious, and
> > damaging.
> > They do sell an organic product made from cornmeal that seems to work
on 
> > these insects overall. But, is anyone more up on what's what?
> > martha
> > 
> > end
> > 
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>      
>      
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