Q: My grape arbors are full of these bugs — hundreds of them eating my figs and grapes. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I shake the grape arbors and swarms fly out. Is there something we can do? Help! Attack of the June bugs!
A: They are sometimes called June bugs based on the time of year we see them. Today they are called March bugs. They are also called fig beetles (Cotinis mutabilis) and their white grubs are often found in the soil as people prepare their garden beds for planting. As adults, they can be managed with conventional insecticides, assuming this is not an organic operation. There are a variety of insecticides that work well and are labeled for use on grapes and figs. The problem is the beetles can fly and when there are large numbers of them it requires repeat treatments. So you can’t really stop them, you can only hope to contain them. There aren’t any great organic solutions for the adults unless you count the two brick method. Insecticides should not be sprayed while plants are blooming to conserve our valuable pollinators.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com.
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