Not the best pictures, But, Does anyone know what kind of bug this is ? It's about 3/4 of an inch big, Flies around, Lands on plants and takes off flying again, Doesn't really stay on anything long. It's very colorfull ( Especially undernieth it's body) Almost florecent ... It's like some kind of flying beetle ...
Top part...
This message was edited Jul 29, 2009 5:58 PM
Some of the underneith..
This beetle is in the family Scarabaeidae, it is known as a green June beetle (Cotinis nitida). Its larvae live in the soil, where in addition to feeding on decomposing organic matter, they also may feed on the roots of many different pants, including grasses and garden vegetables. The adult beetles feed on ripening fruits (they love our blackberries and peaches), as well as the fruits and foliage of many shrubs.
suunto, Thankyou so much for the update! Good grief, Got a lot of vegetables in the garden, Is there anything you can suggest to get rid of them? I do organic gardening so this might be a tough one for me!
Unless you see huge numbers of them, there may be no need for any specific control. We have them in our yard and garden, but they seem more nuisances than serious pests. I only really object when I find one with its face buried in a ripe blackberry...
There are quite a few here flying around, I had gotten some mushroom compost that I stilll have a small pile from and I think thats where they came from.
