June Bugs, oh' wait.

[QRTRHRS]

Well, the Cicada's have pretty much cycled out. I am starting to see what we call June bugs (Melolonthinae). They seem to be a bit miss-named this year? They don't much bother me other than I have to pick them out of my horse's water barrels and every now and then have one bump into me with their clumsy flight.

I guess that it goes along with everything else this year. I have a blue berry bush that is still yielding berries while the others have long played out. This one was so loaded with unripened berries that it was breaking apart from the weight.

My black berries won't take any blue ribbons this year. If I let them go another day thinking that they will completely ripen then the next day they are mush. The black raspberries are somewhat the same but their yields are better.

 

[Torvy]

Our blue and black berries are only in their 2nd season.

We got about a quart bag of blackberries (2 plants). The canes for next year look good, though.

We nipped the buds off of one blueberry plant (of 4) because it needed to grow better. The others produced OK. Not sure how much she took off because she eats those pretty quick.

We've got some giant flies now. Not sure if they are deer flies, black flies or mutant flies. One landed on the back of the dog. It was at least an inch long. Looked like it was expecting to fly away with the pup (she's over 100lbs).

 

[RandyT]

Our blue and black berries are only in their 2nd season.

We got about a quart bag of blackberries (2 plants). The canes for next year look good, though.

We nipped the buds off of one blueberry plant (of 4) because it needed to grow better. The others produced OK. Not sure how much she took off because she eats those pretty quick.

We've got some giant flies now. Not sure if they are deer flies, black flies or mutant flies. One landed on the back of the dog. It was at least an inch long. Looked like it was expecting to fly away with the pup (she's over 100lbs).

Probably horse flies. Those things will bite right through your shirt.

 

[BackRoad]

While mowing earlier today, had one of those Horse Flies nip me...through my shirt, and one on my hand drew big blood! Hard to swat them while two sticking a zero turn!

Grass was low enough, I was mowing at 10 mph, and those blood suckers weren't being left behind...

 

[Oaktree]

Probably horse flies. Those things will bite right through your shirt.

And they're relentless too, they don't give up! They've been bad here this year.

I don't know if what the OP calls june bugs are the same thing as here (ours come right around Memorial day/first week in June). Ours will buzz constantly against window screens at night, probably attracted to the light in the room.

 

[RandyT]

And they're relentless too, they don't give up! They've been bad here this year.

I don't know if what the OP calls june bugs are the same thing as here (ours come right around Memorial day/first week in June). Ours will buzz constantly against window screens at night, probably attracted to the light in the room.

The only way to get away from them is to get them before they get you the second time.

Years ago use to do a lot of night fishing with Coleman lanterns. They would bounce off of the glass globe and make a pinging sound. And had a buddy that seemed to attract them so we would be sitting around watching fishing pole and listening to the ping, ping, ping, and then pop. And you would look over at my buddy who would be rubbing his head from the impact.

I always said that June bugs change direction by bouncing off of objects.

 

[Oaktree]

The only way to get away from them is to get them before they get you the second time.

Easier said than done. They are fairly easy to swat when the land, but most of the time they just buzz you relentlessly, especially when you're trying to do something and don't have hands free.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

When I was a kid, I would tie some tobacco string to a june bugs leg and fly it around. This was way before remote controlled stuff. I think the string operated planes were invented just no where near me.

I'd get a new bug every day or so.

Then we'd also go bird blinding too. Flying a yellow hammer woodpecker was a lot of fun too.

 

[MH8675309]

When I was a kid Dad used to take me in the semi - he drove for Michigan milk producer association - and at 5:00AM the June bugs were so thick the windshield was plastered with them as he drove. The wipers and washers almost couldn't keep up. Here in Michigan I hardly saw any June bugs this year. Every year is different though

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I'm testing something... Spraying the ground with milky spore, its supposed to kill the grubs. We'll see. We didn't have a heavy crop of JB's this year.