How to Get Rid of June Bugs - The Ultimate Guide

How to Get Rid of June Bugs Once and For All

This article is going to teach you how to get rid of June bugs.  June bugs are regular visitors each and every summer, typically from late May to June.  When summer rolls around, they begin to circulate through garden after garden, in search of their favorite foods.  In doing so, they often wreak havoc on the plants you have worked so hard to develop all year long.  While the June bugs are enjoying themselves, eating through your foliage, you are anxiously trying to find ways to stop them!

Throughout this article, you will find various methods to help you understand how to get rid of June bugs during the summer months.  The solutions we will discuss include both, organic and inorganic methods to combat these pests.  There are ways for you to have a garden free of June bugs and full of the healthy vegetation you have always intended to have.

What Are June Bugs?

June bugs consist of various types of beetles, generally classified into three different categories:  the Japanese Beetle, the Chafer Beetle, the Green June Beetle, and the Ten-Lined June Beetle. Their actions give them away.  Many times, they are a great pest to the home gardener, as they eat away at landscape plants.  You will be able to recognize them by their distinct characteristics of an oval-shaped back, with pincers in the front for feeding.  The grubs or worms of these insects are also known to cause damage to turf and lawn grass.

You will recognize that grubs are present through their actions, as well.  Typically, they reside in the soil and begin to make their presence known by eating away at the roots of your grass, which causes it to turn brown.

An even bigger problem that is caused by grubs is that they are prey for other unwanted wildlife that seek after them, sometimes digging up patches in the dirt to locate them.  In other words, if one does not get rid of the grubs originating from June bugs, primarily the Japanese Beetle, the consequences can be insurmountable.

One of the greatest things about learning how to get rid of June bugs is that they can all be treated in the same manner.  There are both, organic and inorganic methods available.  You can treat June bugs and their grubs, eliminating them from your garden.

The Nature of a June Bug

Although the lifespan of a June bug is rather short, only a year, they are however, capable of multiplying dramatically in a short period of time, thus, causing lots of damage.  It is important to know how to get rid of June bugs.  It is key to eliminate them at the first notice.  Ridding the problem early helps in obtaining a quick solution before it gets out of hand.

One of the first things you may notice is that June bug grubs are present.  If you happen to see brown patches patterned irregularly across your lawn during the late summer to early fall months, this is a clear sign that grubs are likely present.  Especially take note if the brown patches are easy to pull away from the soil like a carpet.

To know and understand the extent of the amount of grub worms that are present there is a simple rule to follow.  If you see more than five grub worms for every ¼ square foot, there is a need for treatment of the June bug grubs, or larvae.  The best time to treat them is during late summer and early fall.

Full grown June bugs, on the other hand, can be detected quite easily.  These critters are generally brown or dark green in color, with an oval-shaped back and pincers in the front, as aforementioned. These insects multiply quickly due in part to the fact that the female June bug is capable of laying 60 to 75 eggs within 2 weeks.

At this rate, once a June bug invasion has begun in your garden or landscape, it can easily turn into an infestation.  Even though you may see them in the daytime, June bugs are very much considered nocturnal creatures, as they are the most active at night.

One thing to keep in mind when trying to figure out how to get rid of June bugs is that they are attracted to light sources, as well as, each other.  Understanding this fact will serve you well in choosing the right solution for your June bug extermination.  Knowing how to address the problem correctly often starts with first completely understanding the problem.

Although June bugs do not bite, sting, carry diseases, or damage furniture, when in large numbers, they can be very damaging to your lawn or garden. Sometimes June bugs can cause damage that can go unnoticed over time.

The noticeable damage that June bugs cause can come in the form of spongy soil, drooping, dying flowers, unattractive spots on trees, dead grass, or even, the attraction of other wildlife predators.  The aforementioned are all signs that you may be at risk of a June bug invasion or infestation.

Now that you know the signs of June bugs and their grubs/larvae, let's learn exactly what we can do about it!

How to Get Rid of June Bugs Easily

After determining that you do, in fact, have a June bug issue to address, let's specifically discuss how to get rid of June bugs.  One of the first things you can do is address the June bug grubs by spraying an insecticide and permeating the area in which you have noticed them.  This will begin the process of eliminating the critters that could be currently eating up the roots of your plants.

Now we know how to get rid of June bugs, let's apply it!  There are quite a few methods you can use to exterminate these creatures.  To begin, you may consider an organic alternative by assembling a June bug trap.  Simply get a jar or bucket, put a white light atop of it, with an inch or two of vegetable oil at the bottom.  Be sure the jar or bucket is open so that the June bugs can fly in toward the light.  They will fall and get trapped in the oil below.

Another solution is to attract small frogs, toads, and/or snakes (predators of June bugs) to the area to simply gobble them up for you during their mid-day lunch or evening dinner.  In addition, another approach you can take is to use nematodes, a type of insecticide that is applied to gardens and lawns.

Getting Rid of June Bugs – A Quick Guide

Signs	Problem	Solution
Brown patches in the grass;	June Bug Larvae/grubs eating at the roots;	Spray insecticide;
Eaten vegetation;	Adult June bugs eating during the night;	Create a June bug trap;
Eaten landscape;	June bugs are present;	Invite small mammals & birds to eat them;