AUSTIN (KXAN) – June bugs have arrived, and while they may be a bit pesky, they are beneficial to our yards.
Freddy Vela spoke with Entomologist Wizzie Brown from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension about these little creatures, how long they are sticking around, and what the next bug to watch for is.
Read an edited version of the conversation below, or use the video player above to listen.
Freddy Vela: What are June bugs exactly, and why do we see them more around this time of year?
Wizzie Brown: Well, the name kind of says it all. So June bugs are a group of beetles, typically in the family Scarabaeidae, that emerge in June, and so the name June bug is not scientifically correct, but that’s what a lot of people call them. They are more accurately called June beetles because they are an actual beetle and not a bug.
Vela: Some people are genuinely scared of bugs, but they’re pretty harmless, correct? And how do they benefit our yards?
Brown: They are harmless. They are beneficial because the larvae, which are known as grub worms or white grubs, are actually decomposers. There are a few species that can feed on the roots of turf grass and cause damage to the turf, but for the most part, they’re in the soil. They’re helping to aerate it. They’re helping to break down those nutrients for the plants to take up and grow.
Vela: We see a lot of them this time of year. What’s the best way to kind of keep them out of our homes or away from our homes?
Brown: The best way to keep them out of the home is by making sure that you have screens on your doors and windows, but the big one is lights. They are going to be attracted to lights at nighttime, so turning off your porch lights at night, drawing curtains so they’re not attracted to those lights that are on inside the home, is really going to help you. If you can’t do that for safety reasons, then there are particular bulbs that you can get that have a reduced wavelength, which are less attractive to insects.
Vela: Soon, they should start making their way out, correct?
Brown: Well, June bugs are typically going to be emerging in June, but we do have some that are called Green fig beetles, and those are going to emerge–usually in July, August, September. A lot of people call those June bugs as well, but there are different species, still kind of similar. They’re not true June bugs. So when we move away from this one, we’ll be moving into something else new.