Ask A Scientist© Zoology Archive

name       Rita
status     other
age        40s
Question - When I lived in Iowa, june bugs were large, black, flying
in the night towards light. I now live in Nevada. This year at my front
deck in the light I am finding bugs that have all the indications of
june bugs except these are greenish with yellow stripes. Is this also a june
bug or maybe a different species? I have also noticed there are hornets
building a nest above the front door onto the deck. I read in an article
that black wasps feed on june bugs. Could this be why I am also having a
problem with hornets?

There are over 100 North American species of beetles, in the subfamily
Melolonthinae, that may be called June bugs or May beetles, with similar
shape and habits but sometimes different colors. I couldn't say whether the
ones you are now seeing are in this group or not, you often have to look at
some pretty technical characteristics to sort them out. As for the hornets,
if they are preying on the beetles or other insects then there could be a
connection (everything is connected to everything else!), but I doubt that
it is direct. Hornets like to nest in the situation you describe and can
usually find food of one sort or another around homes.
J. Elliott
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