Tag Archives: Phyllophaga
May beetles on pecans
Nearly everyone who’s grown up in a rural or semi-rural area of Texas knows about “Junebugs”, or more correctly, June beetles. These are the heavy bodied, spindly legged beetles that flock to lights at night. Even in my suburban home, miles from pastures or farm fields, we get June beetles and their relatives coming in waves throughout the spring, clumsily bumping against window screens, drawn by the light. It seems that “June beetle” is not a very accurate descriptor of the dozens of species of spring emerging scarab beetles that… Read More →
When are June beetles… not?
One of the April-flying species of scarab beetle. This specimen is Phyllophaga hirtiventris, a cousin to the turf-eating June beetle. I’ve been getting questions about the numerous June beetles attracted to lights this spring. Callers are wondering if the June beetles are coming earlier this year. Is this another sign of global warming? You can relax on this one. The clunky, loud beetles bumping against your screen windows aren’t another sign of large-scale climate change. These are the “early-bird” scarab beetles. We could call them “April” or “May”beetles,… Read More →