| 1440096 |
green June beetle |
Cotinis nitida |
The green June beetle larva, (Cotinis nitada (Linnaeus), can be a serious pest of tobacco plant beds. Eggs are laid during the summer. Larvae hatch and grow to be about two inches in length. They have brown head and creamy white C-shaped bodies. June beetles overwinter in the larval stage, complete their development the following spring, and are nearly full grown when beds are started. Larvae live several inches below the soil surface and cause some damage by feeding on young tender roots of plants. They cause the most serious damage by their continual burrowing and tunneling through the soil, loosening the soil and uprooting plants. |
