Georgia is home to two main types of June bugs: the green June beetle and over a dozen species of brown May/June beetles in the genus Phyllophaga. Both are common across the state, and both can cause real damage to lawns, gardens, and crops, especially during their larval grub stage. Here’s what Georgia residents need to know about identifying them, understanding the damage they cause, and keeping them under control.
Two Types of June Bugs in Georgia
The green June beetle is the showier of the two. Adults are about an inch long with a metallic green body and tan wing edges. They’re strong, clumsy fliers you’ll see buzzing around yards and gardens from June through August, often crashing into people and objects. They’re attracted to ripe fruit, compost, and decaying organic matter.
The brown May/June beetles (Phyllophaga species) are more numerous in terms of variety. More than a dozen Phyllophaga species live in Georgia, and the adults feed on the leaves and small stems of hardwood trees, including pecan. These are the beetles you see swarming porch lights on warm evenings in late May and June. They’re oval, reddish-brown to dark brown, and slightly smaller than green June beetles.
Despite looking quite different as adults, both types share a destructive trait: their larvae are white grubs that live underground and feed on plant roots.
When They Appear and How Long They Live
Adults emerge in late May and early June, with activity peaking through the summer months. They mate shortly after emerging, and females burrow into the soil to lay eggs. Those eggs hatch into white, C-shaped grubs that feed on grass roots and organic matter below the surface.
The life cycle in Georgia is typically one year for green June beetles but can stretch to two, three, or even four years for some Phyllophaga species. Most of that time is spent underground as larvae, passing through three increasingly larger stages. The grubs pupate in the soil during late summer or fall, and adults emerge the following spring to start the cycle again. This means your lawn can harbor grubs year-round, with the worst root damage occurring during the later larval stages when the grubs are largest and most hungry.
Signs of Grub Damage in Your Lawn
Grub damage typically shows up as irregular brown patches in your lawn that feel spongy underfoot. Because the grubs are severing grass roots, you can often peel back damaged turf like a loose carpet. Green June beetle grubs are particularly noticeable because they move to the soil surface in the evening, sometimes leaving small mounds of soil or tunneling trails that resemble earthworm castings.
The threshold that warrants treatment is five to seven grubs per square foot. You can check by cutting a one-foot square of turf about three inches deep and counting what you find. A few grubs are normal and healthy turf can tolerate them, but above that threshold the damage adds up quickly.
Best Time to Treat Grubs in Georgia
Timing matters more than product choice. The University of Georgia recommends treating green June beetle grubs between July and September, when larvae are young, small, and close to the soil surface. Treatments applied in early spring are less effective and often require a second application because older grubs are harder to kill and burrow deeper.
A few practical tips improve results significantly. If your soil is dry, water the lawn before you treat so grubs move closer to the surface. Apply products late in the day, since grubs become active and migrate upward during the evening. After treatment, grubs will come to the surface. With heavy infestations, you may need to rake up dead grubs to prevent odor problems as they decompose.
Several chemical options are available at garden centers, including products containing trichlorfon, imidacloprid, carbaryl, and halofenozide. Look for these active ingredients on the label rather than brand names, which change frequently.
Biological Alternatives for Grub Control
If you prefer to skip chemical treatments, beneficial nematodes are the most effective biological option for white grubs. Specifically, nematodes in the genus Heterorhabditis work well. They’re sold as a powder or gel, mixed with water, and drenched into the soil where grubs are feeding. Soil temperature needs to be at least 50°F for the nematodes to be active, which is rarely an issue in a Georgia summer. Keep the soil moist after application so the nematodes can move through it.
Another biological product uses a strain of the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (sold as grubGONE!) that paralyzes grubs from the inside after they consume it. The best application window is mid-July to mid-August, timed around peak egg hatch.
Milky spore is a popular suggestion online, but it only works against Japanese beetle grubs and won’t affect green June beetles or Phyllophaga species. Even against Japanese beetles, it takes years to establish in the soil and only infects about 2 to 5 percent of the grub population annually. It’s a long-term suppression tool, not a quick fix.
Reducing Adult Beetles Around Your Home
Adult June bugs are famously attracted to light, which is why they pile up on porches, patios, and around windows on summer nights. You can reduce the swarm by switching outdoor bulbs to yellow or amber LED lights, which attract far fewer beetles and other flying insects than white or blue-toned lights. Dimmer settings help too, and turning off unnecessary outdoor lighting at night makes a noticeable difference.
Bug zappers are tempting but counterproductive. They emit the kind of light that draws beetles in from a wider area while primarily killing beneficial insects rather than the pests you’re targeting. You’ll end up with more June bugs near your home, not fewer.
Are June Bugs Harmful to People or Pets?
June bugs don’t bite, don’t sting, and aren’t toxic. If your dog or cat snacks on them (which many pets find irresistible), the beetles are safe as long as they haven’t been treated with pesticides. Eating a large number at once can cause mild stomach upset, vomiting, or diarrhea, but there’s no poisoning risk from the insects themselves. For humans, the worst a June bug will do is startle you by flying into your face or hair on a warm evening.