In the summer, June bugs might be a little annoying. You may be curious whether there is a food source enticing them if they are producing issues in your garden. So what do bugs eat in June?
Grass, leaves, plant foliage, flowers, grains, fruits, and vegetables are what June bugs primarily consume. Common June bugs favor eating leaves and grass. These kinds of meals are preferred by specific June bug species. While some species are more attracted to greenery, others prefer to eat grains or crops. Grubs from June bugs eat grass and plant roots.
Continue reading if you want to learn more about what June bugs like to eat. You can learn everything you need to know about the June bugs diet from this guide.
Let’s get going.
What Do June bugs Eat?
Since June bugs are herbivores, their primary food consists of plants, leaves, and agricultural products. The leaves, flowers, fruits, and roots of a plant are just a few of the parts that June bugs will devour.
The June bugs are so named because they erupt from the ground in vast numbers during the summer. The June bugs will begin hunting for plant material to feed on as soon as they start to emerge.
Just below the surface of your lawn’s soil, June bugs deposit their eggs. These eggs can take up to two years to mature into June bug grubs before becoming adults. In order to grow and develop into adults, June bug grubs must consume a lot of energy and have a ravenous appetite.
These grubs will pass through any plant roots or soil nutrient they can locate. This means that June bug grubs can seriously harm your lawn or garden plants.
If you have oak or walnut trees nearby, which are particularly attractive to June bugs, you might notice greater swarms in your yard. However, as they only require green lawns to complete their life cycle, your yard will still be attractive to them despite the presence of any vegetation.
How do June Bugs feed?
Because June bugs have a mandible mouth, they can use it to hold, cut, and chew food.
Because of their tiny jaws, they can only eat soft surfaces like leaves, plants, fruit, and roots. They take tiny bites of the meal, chew it, and then swallow it. Typically, a single adult June bug only damages a small area of a plant and takes modest amounts of food from it at a time.
Much more harm can be done by June bug grubs than by adult June bugs. For nearby grass and plants, the grub stage of their life cycle is quite destructive. The roots and any nutrients taken from the plants by June bug grubs will cause the plants to die from the ground up. If the roots aren’t well-established, this typically results in patches of yellow, dead grass or immature plants dying off.
Do June bugs eat insects?
As herbivores, June bugs don’t consume other insects as part of their diet. The only thing that attracts them is plant matter, despite the fact that they have mandibles that can devour smaller insects. If an aphid or other small insect is on the plant that the June bug is consuming, the June bug may mistakenly consume it.
None of the following insects are eaten by June bugs:
- Aphids
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
- Ants
- Mites
- Ladybugs
- Various June bugs
Other insects can be bitten by June bugs. But if they feel threatened, they can only employ this behavior to defend themselves against other insects.
June bugs can be prey for other insects and animals, and if attacked, they may try to protect themselves.
Do June bugs Eat Plants?
June bugs primarily eat vegetation and plants. The plant is consumed by the June bugs, but typically only in very little amounts. They may, at best, result in minor bruising, leaf curling, or surface discoloration. Adult June bugs do very little overall harm to plants, even in swarms.
Even though adult bugs primarily harm plants’ appearance, gardeners nevertheless view them as pests. This typically has more to do with the grubs eating grass and other plants from the ground up.
Gardeners worry about June bug grubs because they can cause more serious issues if they become an infestation. On order to find grubs, animals like skunks or raccoons will dig holes in your yard. This can ruin your yard significantly and be very frustrating.
If this is a problem for you, see our advice on clearing your yard of June bugs.
Do June bugs eat Fruit?
Fruit, especially soft or overripe fruits, are attractive to many species of June bugs. The June bugs enjoy eating the delicious flesh since it provides them with an excellent amount of nutrients and energy.
June bugs are likely to consume fruits like:
- Apricots
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Figs
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Pears
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
Where they have chewed on the fruit’s surface, June bugs will leave a little area of damage. The good news is that June bugs favor fruits that are just beginning to deteriorate and have passed their prime for freshness. As a result, you can pick the majority of your fruit before the June bugs start munching.
When you harvest your fruit, use caution and make an effort to check it first. The June bugs may get inside the fruits and chow down on the succulent flesh there.
Overripe fruit trees can sustain significant harm from large swarms of June bugs. It might be advisable to gather the fruit before it goes bad if you aren’t going to eat it yourself because rotting fruit will encourage June bugs to deposit their eggs on your neighbor’s yard.
Do June bugs eat Vegetables?
Although they seem to be drawn to some vegetable crops as well, June bugs much prefer to consume plants and fruits. It’s unclear if this is a result of the insects’ preference for eating the leaves before moving onto the food.
June bugs consume the following grains and vegetables:
- Corn
- Beans
- Tomatoes
- Maize
- Potatoes
Do June bugs eat flowers?
Your attractive bushes and plants’ flowers will be devoured by June bugs. Although they usually choose to eat the leaves first, they can harm flower heads to some extent. If you want to maintain your flowers looking healthy and prevent any sections from withering or dying off too soon, this might be frustrating.
The June insect particularly enjoys eating roses. To keep them safe during the busiest June bug season, you might want to think about employing prophylactic sprays or nets.
What do June bugs eat in the winter?
In the winter, adult June bugs will cease to exist. Therefore, you won’t need to be concerned about the adults during the winter.
The issue is that any eggs they may have laid in your soil during the summer will now begin to hatch. After that, the larvae will begin to gnaw through any plant roots they encounter in the soil.
A few years may pass before some June bug species fully emerge in the summer from the soil.
What do June bugs drink?
The plants that June bugs eat will provide them with the majority of the water they require. Since plants provide a plentiful source of water, they will meet the June bugs’ water needs.
Dew on plants may provide June bugs with additional hydration as they consume.
Another excellent source of hydration for adult June bugs is fruits and vegetables. The roots of plants that have ingested water from the soil will provide the majority of the hydration for the June bug grubs.
What do June bugs eat in my home?
If throughout the summer you discover June bugs inside your house. Do not be concerned; they are not there to harm your property. June bugs are nocturnal insects that are probably present in your home as a result of the confusion caused by artificial light.
Adult Since they disappear before the cold weather arrives, June bugs won’t hibernate in your home over the winter. You won’t locate June bug grubs in your home during this season since they are under the soil.
June bugs won’t devour any wood in your house or your clothes. These materials do not attract them. You’ll discover a June bug munching a home plant doing the greatest damage.
What do June bugs hate?
There are a few plants you may grow that can naturally deter June bugs from your yard, even if they will attack the majority of them.
These are excellent for putting around other treasured plants to deter June bugs from nibbling.
June bug-repelling plants include:
- Catnip
- Lavender
- Lemongrass
- Mint
- Rosemary
These plants all have overpowering aromas that the June bugs find repulsive. By scattering some of these plants across your yard, you can lessen the chance that enormous swarms will invade it over the summer.
Final thoughts
You’ll notice that most June bugs are herbivorous and drawn to plant stuff. Anything from leaves to foliage, roots, fruits, and crops can be used as examples.
Even though they occasionally come in enormous swarms, they often don’t cause a lot of harm to your plants. However, if you have treasured plants, the damage may be sufficient to make them a bother to you.
Since June bugs are drawn to most plants and grassy lawns, they will harm most yards. However, you might observe them in larger swarms if you have adjacent roses, fruit trees, veggies, or oak or walnut trees.
The easiest way to combat them is to keep your yard well-kept, though using pungent-smelling plants can help you reduce their population.
FAQ
What do June bugs do to humans?
June bugs are native to Maine and are not venomous to people. But that brings little solace to those who must endure the nighttime flying swarms of beetles surrounding porch lights or lit screen doors.
What can June bugs do to humans?
June bugs are native to Maine and are not venomous to people. But that brings little solace to those who must endure the nighttime flying swarms of beetles surrounding porch lights or lit screen doors.
What does a June bug bite look like?
A June bug bite won’t stand out in any particular way. It could show as a single, little red spot on your skin. There might be a minor bit of swelling here. The skin may also be scratchy or inflamed.
What do June bugs need to live?
These insects are drawn to warm places in the summer because they prefer the warmer climate. They are particularly drawn to thatched, lush lawns. In fact, June bug grubs thrive especially well in lawns that have received a lot of fertilizer.
What does June bugs do to you?
Fortunately, these insects are not harmful and will not bite you or your pets, so even if they do come inside, it won’t be a major concern. Another frequent insect that is active throughout the day is the green June beetle.