Has your yard or garden suffered serious bug damage seemingly overnight? You might have a June beetle infestation. These beetles are nocturnal and can devastate a yard, pasture or vegetable garden on a warm spring evening. The can drive both you and your lawn care service crazy before the summer ends.

June beetles are also called June bugs, May beetles and May bugs after their habit of emerging from the earth in the early summer warmth. They aren’t actually bugs, though. They are true beetles of the scarab beetle family. Their official name is Phyllophaga. The name comes from the Greek words “leaf” and “eater” which should give you an idea of what they can do to your plants.

Females lay eggs in the mid-summer months. The eggs hatch in around 18 days and a larva emerges and starts eating. They grow into grubs that overwinter and continue eating any time it’s warm enough. Next they will pupate for another 18 day period and emerge as adult beetle, who also need to eat.


The adult June beetle is called a chafer and it eats leaves, bark, moss, fruit, vegetables and grass. The grubs eat grass at the root. Since they are nocturnal beetles, most of their eating is done at night. This explains why is may seem that your yard or garden has somehow died overnight.

There is a quick and easy way to tell if June beetles are the pest control issue in your yard. Flood a small area. If you have June beetles, they will be forced to the surface. You’ll be able to tell in just a few moments if this is the pest problem. There are some green pest control methods that can be employed to help prevent June beetles from taking over your property. In just about all stages, these beetles have an aversion to garlic and onions. Plant the strongly scented bulbs as a border around a vegetable garden to keep June beetles out. You can also buy and introduce their natural predators (grub parasites like nematodes) into your garden. Birds love to eat the grub so attract them with a feeder and good nesting sites.

Keep you outdoor lights off in the early summer. June beetles are very attracted to light. If they are swarming, which they will do in early summer, you will find mounds of them under your porch lights. The survivors might want to stick around for a while.

If green methods fail you, consult a professional Brevard County pest control company.