Southeastern Apple Production
ENTOMOLOGY
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Southeastern Apple ProductionENTOMOLOGY |
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Adult green June beetles (GJB) are velvety, metallic green, nearly 1 inch long, robust, and somewhat flattened. The margins of the body are bronze to yellow with a series of small white spots along the sides and tip of the abdomen. Wing covers are reddish brown. Larvae (grubs) are cream-colored and range from 1/4 inch to 2 inches long, and pupae are brown and 1/2 inch long.
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GJB overwinter as larvae in the soil, pupating in May and emerging as adults in July and August. They are often most abundant a few weeks before and during harvest. Adults lay eggs in debris. There is one generation per year.
Damage appears similar to that of Japanese beetles. Adults attack the fruit by chewing irregular holes in it, and in some cases the fruit is nearly devoured. Apple foliage is skeletonized so that all the leaf tissue between the veins is removed. Orchard grass is also occasionally killed by the larvae feeding on the roots.
Adult GJB are strong fliers and may seem to appear in continuous or successive invasions, especially after soaking rains. Orchards near pastures fertilized with chicken litter often suffer more severe GJB problems. If an orchard has a history of problems, use insecticides before the beetles become too abundant, as aggregations of beetles tend to attract other beetles from afar. Protecting fruit and foliage requires killing adult beetles in the orchard.
Insect and Mite Management Overview
Insect and Mite Index
Southeastern Apple Production
Mountain
Horticultural Crops Research & Extension
Center
455 Research Drive
Mills River, NC 28759
Phone: 828.684.3562 ~ Fax: 828.684.8715
Email: jim_walgenbach@ncsu.edu
Web Crafters: Anne S. Napier and
Steve Schoof
Email:
steve_schoof@ncsu.edu
Updated March 6, 2007