June Bugs Emerge as Houston's Latest Annoying Insect

Houston Chronicle ^ | March 7, 2024 | Ariana Garcia

[nickcarraway]

The beetles have emerged to mate and lay eggs in this pleasant spring weather.

Just when crane flies seemed to be dominating the Houston area, a different kind of bug has emerged to replace them. Droves of so-called June bugs are being spotted all over H-Town, piling up at doorsteps, buzzing underneath bright street lights, and crashing hard enough into windows and screens at night that it brings to mind the sound of popping popcorn. But why now?

As their name suggests, these scarabs typically emerge from the ground during warmer weather in the late spring and early summer, typically in May and June, explained Brandi Keller, a Harris County horticulture agent with Texas A&M AgriLife. "However, the weather has warmed up, so that may have initiated the process for some," Keller told Chron. In fact, Houston nearly reached 90 degrees on Tuesday. "Green June beetle populations are also cyclical, meaning we can experience higher and then lower populations from year to year," Keller added.

Molly Keck, integrated pest management entomologist for Texas A&M AgriLife, said the current abundance of beetles in the region could be due a number of different factors, including good food sources prior to the winter and a milder winter that allowed more of them to survive. "It's going to let them know that spring is here," Keck told Chron. "They all start to emerge at one time to take advantage of those environmental cues that are telling them it's time to come out of the ground, look for a mate and lay eggs."

[Ancesthntr]

June bugs? Feh!

Houston’s OG annoying insect was, and remains, Democrats.

[moovova]

Put'em on a string...keep'em as a pet.