Green June beetle

Insect

Green June beetle

Cotinis nítida L.

Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae

Distribution: CT and southeastern NY south to FL, and west beyond the Mississippi.

Photos

Adults feed in groups on the surface of ripe fruit, causing large gouges. Peter Shearer, Rutgers Univ.
B

The adult is velvet green dorsally with yellow-orange margins on the elytra (A). Ventrally it is a shiny metallic green mixed with orangish yellow. The larva is a large, C-shaped grub that lives in the soil and is not found in the trees. some blue is also evident in newly emerged specimens (A). The larva is pinkish white with a dark head and an anal comb (B).

Crops Affected: apples, cherries, peaches, pears, plums

Damage

Attacks all tree fruits, particularly stone fruits and apple. Besides feeding on petioles and leaves, adults are attracted to the ripe fruit, feeding on the surface in groups and causing large gouges (B). Most injury occurs in mid- to late summer.

Management

Feeding damage from adults is sporadic and transient during the summer. If needed, an insecticide can be applied when leaf damage or the insects feeding on foliage are noted in the trees.

Similar Species

This insect is a relative of Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), with whom it sometimes occurs in the adult stage. The two species can be distinguished by the differences in their size and coloration; also, unlike Japanese beetle, green June beetle can injure both green and ripening fruit.