Are green June beetles poisonous?

Green June beetles, also known as green June bugs or June bugs (scientific name Cotinis nitida), are a type of scarab beetle common in early summer across the eastern United States. As their name suggests, these beetles are green in color and tend to emerge in June. While relatively harmless to humans, you may be wondering – are green June beetles poisonous?

Quick Answer

Green June beetles are not poisonous to humans or pets. They do not bite or sting, and they do not transmit diseases. While green June beetles can cause minor damage to plants and trees, they do not produce or secrete any poisonous venom or toxins that are harmful if touched or ingested.

Are Green June Beetles Harmful?

Even though green June beetles are not poisonous, some key facts about the potential harm they can cause:

• They can damage plant roots, leaves, fruits, and trees as their larvae feed underground on roots and adults eat foliage and fruits.
• Large infestations can potentially kill young plants, trees, or shrubs.
• They do not bite or sting humans or animals.
• They do not spread diseases.
• They may startle you if they suddenly take flight nearby.

So while green June beetles can be considered pests in gardens and landscapes, they pose no risk of poisoning people or pets if touched or ingested. The main harm is to vegetation through their feeding behaviors.

Details on Green June Beetle Poisonousness

Here are some more details on why green June beetles are not poisonous:

• They do not produce or secrete any venom.
• No poisonous toxins have been identified in their bodies.
• All body parts and secretions are harmless if touched or ingested.
• Their bodies lack any poison glands or sacs.
• Cases of poisoning in humans or animals are nonexistent.

With no venom, toxins, poison glands, or history of poisoning, green June beetles can be definitively classified as non-poisonous insects. They utilize chewing mouthparts to eat vegetation rather than biting or stinging.

Comparison to Poisonous Beetles

While green June beetles are not poisonous, some beetles are capable of producing toxic secretions for defense. Examples include:

Beetle	Poisonous Quality
Blister beetles	Can ooze toxic, irritating secretions when threatened
Bombardier beetles	Spray boiling, acidic secretions from special glands
Fire-colored beetles	Contain pyrazine toxins acquired from ingested plants

In contrast, green June beetles have no physical or behavioral adaptations to produce poisons for defense like these species. The green June beetle’s primary defenses are its hard shell-like forewings (elytra) and its ability to quickly take flight.

Are Green June Beetles Edible?

While green June beetle larvae (grubs) are sometimes consumed as survival food, the adult beetles themselves are not considered edible insects. Reasons why green June beetles are not a good food source include:

• Their hard, crunchy bodies make them difficult to eat.
• They provide little nutritional value compared to other insects.
• Their taste and texture are likely unappealing to most.
• They are viewed mainly as garden and landscape pests rather than food.

So while not poisonous if ingested, green June beetles are generally not considered edible insects due to their poor palatability and lack of nutritional value. Their tough external skeleton also makes them difficult to digest.

Are Green June Beetles Harmful to Pets?

Green June beetles are generally not harmful to dogs, cats, or other domestic pets if ingested. Key points include:

• Their hard shells and wings may cause minor stomach upset if swallowed.
• There are no poisonous toxins that can sicken pets.
• In most cases, pets will naturally avoid eating green June beetles.
• Any gastrointestinal upset after ingestion should be minor and transient.
• Medical treatment is typically not needed unless symptoms persist.

So while green June beetles can potentially cause minor stomach upset in curious pets that eat them, they contain no toxins that are acutely dangerous or life-threatening if ingested. Preventing ingestion is ideal, but poisoning risks are very low from green June beetles.

Can Green June Beetles Transmit Disease?

There is no evidence that green June beetles transmit infectious diseases to humans, pets, livestock, or plants. Important points include:

• They are not known carriers of any microbial pathogens.
• No foodborne illnesses have been linked to the beetles.
• They do not spread plant diseases as they feed and move between plants.
• There are no records of disease transmission to animals that ingest green June beetles.

Therefore, while green June beetles can damage plant health through feeding, they do not pose any hazard of transmitting infectious diseases. Their role in transmission of parasites, fungi, bacteria, or viruses appears nonexistent.

How to Control Green June Beetles

If green June beetles become problematic in your garden, landscape, or orchard, here are some effective control methods:

Manual Removal

• Hand pick beetles from plants and drop in bucket of soapy water
• Lay down drop cloths and shake vegetation to dislodge beetles
• Set up evening lights to attract beetles and collect them

Traps

• Place pheromone or floral lures above plastic bowl traps
• Use funnel traps with fruit bait to capture beetles
• Dig pitfall traps flush with soil to catch larvae and beetles

Natural Predators

• Encourage birds, frogs, lizards, and bats to frequent your yard for predation
• Avoid use of broad-spectrum pesticides that kill beneficial predators
• Introduce parasitoid wasps or nematodes that attack beetle larvae in soil

Targeted Insecticides

• Apply entomopathogenic fungi to soil to kill larvae
• Spray infested vegetation with products containing azadirachtin, pyrethrins, Beauveria bassiana
• Use imidacloprid soil drenches for larval control

An integrated pest management approach combining several methods often provides the best control of green June beetle infestations.

Conclusion

Green June beetles are classified as harmless to humans and pets because they lack any poisonous qualities. They do not produce venom, secrete toxic substances, or transmit diseases through their feeding. While the beetles can damage gardens, landscapes, and orchards through their vegetative feeding, they do not pose any poisoning risk if ingested or touched. Using mechanical removal, traps, natural predators, and targeted insecticides provides the best prevention and control of problematic green June beetle populations.