Two Interesting Insects

Several people have asked questions about metallic green beetles that are abundant in their landscapes the past couple of weeks.

The golden-green beetles…
I did a quick search of Texas A&M Entomology web pages for help with the beetles. They’re green June bugs, and as with other June beetles, it’s their grubs (larval stage) that can do some degree of harm to turf, flower and vegetable roots.

I have never knowingly had inquiries on this beetle being present in numbers sufficient to do real damage to plants in our landscapes and gardens. It’s mainly because of their size and dramatic looks that we get concerned when we see them flying into our spaces.

Here is information from Texas A&M Extension Program Specialist Wizzie Brown.

The fine webbing…
I haven’t experienced an outbreak of these unusual insects first hand, but they wrap trees’ trunks with very fine webbing. The tiny “lice” (not true lice) live beneath the webbing where they feed on accumulations of dead bark, algae, fungi, etc. In doing so they are essentially vacuuming the trunk of old debris. They are not harmful, and many refer to them as actually being beneficial. No control is suggested.

Here is a fact sheet from Texas A&M entomologists.

And here is an older, very descriptive piece from the Galveston County Master Gardeners as they readied themselves for calls that would be coming in to their office.