what do june bugs eat

Adult June bugs mostly eat leaves, flowers, and sometimes soft fruits, while their larvae (white grubs) feed on grass and other plant roots underground.

Quick Scoop: What Do June Bugs Eat?

Adults (the flying “June bugs”)

Adult June bugs are herbivores that feed at night on soft plant material. Common foods include:

• Leaves of deciduous trees (oak, maple, walnut, hickory)
• Leaves of shrubs and ornamental plants
• Flowers and tender new growth on plants
• Fruit tree foliage (apple, peach, etc.)
• Some crops and garden plants like corn, small grains, potatoes, and strawberries in heavier infestations

They usually nibble rather than completely stripping a healthy plant, so adult feeding alone often causes only light to moderate cosmetic damage in most home gardens.

Larvae (white grubs in the soil)

The larvae are the real problem feeders. They live in the soil and mainly eat:

• Roots of turfgrass (lawns, golf greens, pasture grasses)
• Roots of garden plants and field crops (corn, grains, potatoes, and other vegetation)

• A variety of other plant roots they encounter, as they are not very picky

Because they chew on roots, they can create large dead patches in lawns and weaken or kill young plants.

Different “types” of June bugs

People often lump several beetles together as “June bugs,” and diets can vary slightly by species:

• Common brown June bugs: especially fond of foliage of leafy plants and field crops like maize/corn.

• Green June bugs / green fruit beetles: more likely to go after soft fruits.

Across species, though, the pattern holds: adults = above‑ground foliage and sometimes fruit; larvae = roots and underground plant parts.

June bugs in the food web

While they eat plants, June bugs (both grubs and adults) are themselves an important food source for many animals, including birds, skunks, raccoons, and other wildlife, because they are rich in protein and fat.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.