Question
QUESTION: Hi.
I would like to know ASAP what a June Beetle eats. My brother just found one in the yard, and I need to feed it something.

Also, are they bad for the garden?

Thanks.
ec

ANSWER: ec,

June beetles will eat fruit as well as probably any kind of sugar/honey water mixture. I don't know how long they will live in captivity. The larvae, called white grubs, feed in the soil on roots. Both can be pests in the garden.

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
Extension Entomologist (ret.)
My website about home and garden pests: http://www.livingwithbugs.com



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: OK, thanks. Is this the same for all June Beetles? I have a 10 lined June Beetle.

Answer
ec,

You must be in western Canada. The 10-lined June beetle feeds on conifer foliage and I don't think this species is a pest in gardens. Here's a link to more information http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/diseases/nursery/pests/junebeet_e.html that may be useful.

Jack DeAngelis