green June beetle
Insecta (Hexapoda) > Coleoptera > Scarabaeidae
Cotinis nitidus (Linnaeus)
Host: burley tobacco Nicotiana tabacum L.
Photographer: R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Slide Set, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Contact: J. Michael Moore, The University of Georgia
Descriptor: Larva(e)
Description: 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.
Image Citation:
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Slide Set, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, http://www.forestryimages.org
Image Use:
This image may be copied and used, in whole or in part, for any non-profit, educational purpose provided that all reproductions bear an appropriate credit. Any commercial or other use of the image requires the written permission of the photographer or contact organization, and Forestry Images.