Because of the unusually mild winter, we can look forward to larger and earlier insect populations this spring and summer. We have already received several calls on insect pests which normally don't occur in large enough numbers to be a problem until later.
One of these is the June Bug, or May Beetle. An indication of a high population of these night-feeders is their flying activity around lights around your home. Several species and populations can be very heavy. During daylight, they will usually be burrowed into soft soil, especially in flower beds and mulch, where they rest and lay eggs after mating the night before.
These beetles feed at night , usually on the foliage of several types of nut trees, such as pecan, oak and several others. Many homeowners have been surprised to find their young, fully leafed oak or pecan trees stripped to a leafless skeleton almost overnight. Usually caterpillars or worms get the blame for this damage, but it can be attributed to the June Bug.
The larvae of this beetle also cause damage for the unsuspecting homeowner in a couple of ways. First, this large, C-shaped, white grub is present in most lawns, but not always in dense enough populations to cause severe damage. They will feed on the roots of several lawn grasses. Unfortunately, you cannot detect the damage they've done until days later, when the turf comes under water or drought stress because of a lack of roots. This turf gets your attention when it usually turns brown dies.
The secondary type of damage attributed to this white grub is the presence of armadillos and the damage they inflict on your lawn. In their hunt for these large, fat, juicy, white grubs, an armadillo will tear up quite a bit of real estate in one night's time. If you didn't have the mature beetles and white grubs, as well as other insects in the lawn, turf and soil, the armadillos would look for other, more lucrative hunting grounds.
To control the June Bugs and related species of May Beetles, you may use the following: for adult beetles apply Sevin Wettable Powder, or Sevin 80 S, to the leaves of the trees or plants at or just before dusk for the maximum effect. This is a stomach poison and will affect the adults when they feed on the foliage. It is not a contact or quick kill pesticide. Sevin may be sprayed in the yard and on flowerbeds as well, because these are places where adults hide during the day.
To control the larvae of the June Bug, apply Sevin either in the Wettable Powder or 80 S form, Diazinon granules or liquid, Oftanol granules, Merit and Dylox to the lawn and or beds where you suspect their presence. Treating the lawn will help to control the immature beetles. They will move to the soil surface, in preparation for a mass emergence and will contact the insecticide barrier. Spray the insecticides and water them into the soil for best control. Some people use these materials on the lawn but do not water them in and do not get good control. For adequate control, you need to follow mixing directions and especially wetting directions on the label to incorporate the insecticide in the soil.
Some folks get really mad at these annoying pests and set special traps for them. Since they are attracted to white lights at night, you may use a large container, such as an old drum or trash can, and a light source. Place the drum with some type of oily solution in the bottom of it with the light source at the top. As the insects are attracted to the light, they fall into or land against the oily solution.
For more information on these or any other problems or pests of your lawn or garden, please contact our office at: LSU AgCenter, 363-5646 or come by at 230 Court Street in Ville Platte. You can also visit the Web site at www.lsuagcenter.com or e-mail kfontenot@agcenter.lsu.edu.