Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Melolonthinae
Length: 20-23 mm
This species has prospered since the advent of riding mowers and huge lawns. Larvae feed in the humus and grass roots below lawns. When exposed, the white "C" shaped grubs have the odd habit of crawling on their backs with their six legs waving in the air.
In some areas you may see many dozen June Bugs in a small area, flying a few inches above the grass.
This is one of relatively few beetles that has long had a widely accepted common name, June Bug. Some people prefer the more taxonomically accurate June Beetle. As the common name says, these adults beetles typically appear in June, about a month after the May Beetles (another type of Scarab). They may continue to fly well into September.
In the South children used to tie a thread to the leg of a June Bug, and fly them on this improvised leash.
Adult June Bugs eat flowers, leaves, and blackberries and other fruits.
Insects of West Virginia
