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Beetles on figs

Yesterday, I stopped to pick figs from 2 trees on my way home from Austin.

When I grabbed the first fig, these huge bees (so I though) came flying out and I ran like school girl.

But, they turned out to be beetles instead.  Litterly 100's of thousands of these thing all over the figs, even the ones on the ground.

Every see anything like this?

 

Sorry for the poor pictures, I took them with my cell phone.


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I've been finding dead beetles that look like these all over my yard the past week.  Thankfully I don't have any fig tree's with ripe figs on them at the moment.  The beetles themselves are rather pretty.  Like small jewels all iridescent and colorful.  I'm sure the first time I find them on my figs that will change my opinion of them.

I'm pretty sure they are some sort of scarab beetle.  I brought about 10 home in a mason jar for my husband to id.  He was dead set on NOT letting any of them loose in the jar.  I sat the jar in the sun, which drove the chickens crazy watching them.  After about 30 minutes and no sign of life, the chickens finally enjoyed their meals.


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There was a thread about them recently. I always knew them as "Mexican fig beetles", but they also like peaches, nectarines, plums, bananas, etc.

!/4 mesh netting and the organza bags keep them out. They have been an issues in So Cal for years.

There are a nuisance but not dangerous to people. They will eat any fruit till the only thing left is the stem.

Not surprisingly, they are known as Figeater Beetles.

These 2 fig trees are in Fredericksburg, Texas which is known for the peach orchards and vineyards.  Hope they stay up there and away from my fig trees.

I know Meghan mentioned she has seen, any other Texans seen them?

How is it after all these years in figs, I have never seen or heard of them?

They are pretty and pretty creeping when they come dive bombing past your head when you are picking a fig.
They won, I gave up after 20 or so figs.


If they buzzed like a large bumblebee, it is them.  I have not seen them in Granger, yet.  Perhaps they will fight it out with the leaf-footed stink bugs until neither one is standing.

This is the thread I started a while back when a friend experienced them for the first time.  http://www.figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=6468097  Thankfully, I've never had them here or even seen them in person yet.  It looks like they might make pretty earrings if coated in acrylic or something, though. :)

How did I miss "Beetle On a String"?

You could arrange them out and stick them in clear epoxy and then sell them as paper weights.  it works for scorpions in Texas. 

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  • Tam

Cathy: Thank you for posting.

Best,
Tam

Harvey - did your friend experience them again the following years?  Or where they just passing through?

Cathy, he had never seen them prior to this year.

Cathy, down south we call those June Bugs.  Some growers call them fig beetles.  They will cause your figs to sour quick when they find a crop.

Quote:
Originally Posted by texascockatoos
I'm pretty sure they are some sort of scarab beetle.  I brought about 10 home in a mason jar for my husband to id.  He was dead set on NOT letting any of them loose in the jar.  I sat the jar in the sun, which drove the chickens crazy watching them.  After about 30 minutes and no sign of life, the chickens finally enjoyed their meals.


I USED TO GET THIS SAME BUG ALL THE TIME IN CALIFORNIA ON MY BLACK MISSION FIG TREE
WHEN IT USED TO GET PRETTY CLOSE TO RIPPENING TIME FOR MY FIGS...
THEY ARE JAPANESE BEATLES... I USED TO CATCH THEM AND KEEP THEM ALIVE AND USE THEM AS BAIT WHEN I WENT FISHING OUT IN THE OCEAN.. THE FISH LOVE THE VIBRANT GREEN IN THE WATER AND I'D ALWAYS GET A FISH!!! AND THEY'RE WERE TONS OF THEM.. DON'T KNOW OF ANY WAY YOU COULD ACTUALLY KEEP THEM OFF EXCEPT TO COVER YOUR TREE'S WITH FINE NETTING LIKE FROM A PARACHUTE.. THAT WOULD WORK....

KIND REGARDS ALWAYS CATHY....

THEVICSTER

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They would make beautiful jewelry too and can definitely see how the fish would be attracted to them.  But they sure give you the heebee jeebees when they are swarming around a tree.  I hope they don't find my stash of trees, otherwise hope the chickens and guineas are up to the task.

Quote:
Originally Posted by texascockatoos
They would make beautiful jewelry too and can definitely see how the fish would be attracted to them.  But they sure give you the heebee jeebees when they are swarming around a tree.  I hope they don't find my stash of trees, otherwise hope the chickens and guineas are up to the task.

 Yeah, I don't like them either!!!   Basically because of the hard shell on their backs and when and if they hit  you, it's like someone throwing rocks at you.. not a good feeling at all Cathy...
and yeah, I see you have your son selling all your plants for you on ebay huh.. looks like they are all going for a great price.. about 23.00 per plant which does include shipping.. I told him i'd like to buy some when the price gets down a bit for me.. (fixed income).. you have some wonderful plants.. you guys must have some kind of stamping machine as he said each plant has it's own steel tag on it.. I asked him who made it, but he's busy I guess.. anyways, i hope you guys make a killing on all those plants.. you deserve to after all the labor you put into raising them up from cuttings i would guess!!!!!!..back to the japanese beetles.. in California my tree had hundreds of them all at one time.. but i would go out late at night and pick most of the ripe fruit... well, you take care dear lady... have a great week coming up.. just sign me your
figoholic friend.
THEVICSTER!!

I agree with Dennis, here in Alabama, we call them "June Bugs"...Every so often we will get years where they are infestations of them! One time, I had a Peach tree, loaded with Peaches and every Peach on the whole tree was just covered up with them. So that year, I did not get even one peach! squash 'em, mash 'em and then kill them!!

We have lived here in the Texas Hill Country for 13 years now and this past August was the first time that I have ever seen them.  
Fredericksburg Texas is known for the peach orchard and now the grape vineyards, I hope we don't see them every year now.

Frank - Since the year that the beetles enjoyed your peaches, have they showed up every year afterwards or not again since?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
I agree with Dennis, here in Alabama, we call them "June Bugs"...Every so often we will get years where they are infestations of them! One time, I had a Peach tree, loaded with Peaches and every Peach on the whole tree was just covered up with them. So that year, I did not get even one peach! squash 'em, mash 'em and then kill them!!




I DON'T THINK THEY LOOK ANYTHING AT ALL ALIKE, BUT IF YOU CALL IT A JUNE BUG, SO BE IT!!
HAPPY FIGGING!!
THEVICSTER

Quote:
Originally Posted by texascockatoos

We have lived here in the Texas Hill Country for 13 years now and this past August was the first time that I have ever seen them.  
Fredericksburg Texas is known for the peach orchard and now the grape vineyards, I hope we don't see them every year now.

Frank - Since the year that the beetles enjoyed your peaches, have they showed up every year afterwards or not again since?



Cathy....I have not seen them in a few years,just here and yonder. But when they come down here, it's with a vengeance!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by THEVICSTER
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
I agree with Dennis, here in Alabama, we call them "June Bugs"...Every so often we will get years where they are infestations of them! One time, I had a Peach tree, loaded with Peaches and every Peach on the whole tree was just covered up with them. So that year, I did not get even one peach! squash 'em, mash 'em and then kill them!!




I DON'T THINK THEY LOOK ANYTHING AT ALL ALIKE, BUT IF YOU CALL IT A JUNE BUG, SO BE IT!!
HAPPY FIGGING!!
THEVICSTER



Vicster, if you come to the deep South and you call that Bug anything besides a "June Bug" people will look at you as if you are Crazy...They are very common down here in Peach and Plum Orchards.
Not saying that's "Proper" but that's what we call them.


Yoy tube video of "June Bugs"        

Fig beetle, June bug, Dung beetle, a rose by any other name.... Google Dung beetle.

Quote:
Originally Posted by texascockatoos

We have lived here in the Texas Hill Country for 13 years now and this past August was the first time that I have ever seen them.  
Fredericksburg Texas is known for the peach orchard and now the grape vineyards, I hope we don't see them every year now.

Frank - Since the year that the beetles enjoyed your peaches, have they showed up every year afterwards or not again since?

I do have a solution to the japanese beetle problem... get a sprayer like for miracle  grow powder and fill the sprayer bottle completely up with original palmolive dish washing detergent (green liquid) and set the sprayer on the setting that makes bubbles when spraying.. you can spray all over whatever fruit tree you want to and it won't hurt the fruit.. won't even hurt fig either.. what that does is breaks down the viscosity of the water and it goes directly into their mouths and lungs and kills them immediately.  i once had a problem with alot of wasps getting drinks out of my swimming pool and it was upsetting everyone who was swimming, and then i remember that if i poured a small cupful of palomolive dish washing detergent into the pool while the pump was off, when the wasps landed to get a drink of water, instead of floating on the top, they would go down beneath the water because of the viscosity of the water they could not float.. this method has also worked great for me with my fruit tree's (peaches and such) for killing the little bugs that like to get inside the peaches at that certain time of the year and spoil all your crops.. extremely cheap and quite effective!!
YOU CAN ALSO DO THE SAME THING FOR PESKY INSECTS AROUND THE INSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE BUT YOU WOULD NEED TO GET A SMALL TRAY AND FILL WITH WATER AND SOLUTION AND AT NIGHT TURN ON THE BLACK LIGHT BEHIND THE TRAY AND THEY WILL GET INTO THE TRAY AND DIE IMMEDIATELY.. WORKS LIKE A CHARM.. BETTER THAN ANYTHING I'VE EVER SEEN!! AND AGAIN, CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP...

THEVICSTER

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
Quote:
Originally Posted by THEVICSTER
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frankallen
I agree with Dennis, here in Alabama, we call them "June Bugs"...Every so often we will get years where they are infestations of them! One time, I had a Peach tree, loaded with Peaches and every Peach on the whole tree was just covered up with them. So that year, I did not get even one peach! squash 'em, mash 'em and then kill them!!




I DON'T THINK THEY LOOK ANYTHING AT ALL ALIKE, BUT IF YOU CALL IT A JUNE BUG, SO BE IT!!
HAPPY FIGGING!!
THEVICSTER



Vicster, if you come to the deep South and you call that Bug anything besides a "June Bug" people will look at you as if you are Crazy...They are very common down here in Peach and Plum Orchards.
Not saying that's "Proper" but that's what we call them.


Yoy tube video of "June Bugs"        
 FRANK, I TOTALLY BELIEVE YOU... THEY ARE VERY MUCH ALIKE EXCEPT FOR BEING GREEN ON THE BACKS.. IN CALIFORNIA LIKE I SAID MY FIG TREE HAD TONS OF THEM AND I'D HAVE TO KILL THEN WITH PALMOLIVE DISH WASHING DETERGENT... I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT IT IS BIO-DEGRADABLE AND WON'T HURT THE DIRT OR ROOTS OF ANY TREE'S... AND BOTH BUGS DO ACT BASICALLY THE SAME WHEN FLYING.. IT'S LIKE THEY HAVE NO PURPOSE WHAT-SO-EVER AND JUST FLY EVERYWHERE AND INTO EVERYTHING..
PLEASE EXCUSE THE UPPER CASE.. NOT SCREAMING.. i just can see it better.. i'll have to work on that..  hope people will use my suggestion.. you could kill 100's of them critters in just seconds with the sprayer....

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