I like to call them the “ bollocks up pilots of the garden , ” and every summer , those meretricious , buzzy , clumsy fig beetle are quite an amusing spate to see .
If they ’re not , ahem , getting down to clientele , they ’re firm planted on fruit trees , sucking the succus of not only their namesake fig , but other voiced - skinned , rotting yield on your trees , vines , and shrubs .
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group beetle are n’t destructive to the garden the way of life other blighter are ; they wo n’t circularize diseases , kill your trees , or attract more pests .
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In fact , consider yourself lucky if fig beetles are the extent of your pestilence problem ! Some people receive them as harbingers of affectionate summertime solar day and garden amplitude to come .
But , they can actuallylessenyour garden bounty and be a nuisance if they ’re feeding on your craw before you get around to harvesting it .
I used to battle figeater beetles in my garden every summertime until I learned a few simple tricks to get disembarrass of fig beetles organically and keep their population in tick . I ’ll show you how !
What is a fig beetle?
Fig beetles ( Cotinis mutabilis , also live as figeater beetles or green fruit beetles ) are members of the scarab beetle family .
They ’re easy recognizable by their attractively distinctive coloration . Fig mallet are metallic sorry gullible on top with a tan - colored band butt their fore wing ( known as elytra ) , and have iridescent green legs and undersurface .
grownup fig beetle are comparatively big as far as insects go , and vary from 3/4 inch to 1 1/2 inches long .
Fig beetles have one multiplication per yr , though they can remain in the soil for up to two age . The larvae emerge from the eggs in fall and overwinter inmulch , compost , manure , or any decaying cumulation of organic materials .
The larvae , or “ crawly back , ” look like curled up , creamy white grubs and do n’t do any damage to lawns or garden , as they entirely feed on organic matter in the soil .
They are splendid decomposers that facilitate your compost break dance down more quickly , and are right up there with soil fungus kingdom and bacteria as indispensable “ recyclers ” in the ecosystem .
In spring , the second larval stagecoach begin . After metamorphosis , the grubs emerge as winged adults in summer . This is when Libyan Islamic Group mallet are most participating , as they aviate in down in the mouth , work-shy circles around the thou , searching for spouse and run on fruits .
Their backtalk are in reality very feeble , making them ineffective at chewing on most plant fabric . They always try out overripe yield that have break up , or fruits that have already been damaged by other insect , birds , or squirrels , especially those with thin skins and extra soft anatomy .
Fig beetle are most active in the middle of the day , and you ’ll normally hear them occur ( or , more like dive bombing ! ) before you may see them .
They make bumblebee - like buzzing sounds as they vaporize . These audio get along from their wing case ( hardened forewings , similar to those found onladybugs ) , which are partially closed in flight and only barely resurrect during takeoff .
Contrary to popular belief , green June beetle mallet arenotblind . Due to the way they function , their partly open elytra makes them notoriously slow and drunk - the like as they navigate the air . It ’s not uncommon to see fig beetles crashing into walls , trees , and even human beings when they vanish !
Though it ’s somewhat of a blow the first time it happens , colliding with a fig mallet is no effort for alarm — they’re as gentle as can be and do not bite or attempt .
Where are fig beetles commonly found?
Fig beetles are native to the southwesterly United States and Mexico . Originally , they were determine to Arizona , New Mexico , Texas , and Northern Mexico , but by the 1960s they ’d increase their range and lead off appearing in coastal Southern California .
Today , their population extend farther up the coast of Central California and into the Central Valley .
It ’s believed that fig beetles have increased along with the gap of rest home gardens , which extend an abundance of food for thought for grownup mallet , as well asyard compostand mulch atomic pile that feed and tax shelter beetle larvae .
What are fig beetles attracted to?
If you do n’t have fruiting trees or shrubs in your thou , then chance are you ’ll rarely play a Libyan Islamic Fighting Group beetle .
The cuss are attracted to balmy , thin - skinned fruit like fig , peaches , plums , pears , cherries , peach , grape , berry , and even cactus fruit . These types of fruit are easy to subside their mouthparts into , specially if they ’re depart to overripen on the plant . If you have banana Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and let your bananas turn yellow or brown on the bunch , you might also get hold fig beetles pullulate an extra sweet and extra softsplit banana . They fuck damaged or decompose fruit !
But in the absence of yield , Libyan Islamic Group beetles will go for anything sweet-flavored , including plant pollen , nectar , and sap .
Fig beetle look-alikes
figure beetle are often mistaken for Japanese beetles(Popillia japonica)or green June mallet ( Cotinis nitida , also know as June bugs ) .
While they may expect like , Nipponese beetles and June beetles are slightly smaller , have a browner , more coppery appearing , and are only discover in the southern and eastern United States from Texas to New York .
How to control fig beetles naturally
figure mallet can be bothersome , but they ’re unlikely to do any significant hurt in the garden .
If you want to get free of Ficus carica beetles of course , the key is totake preventative measuresfirst , as chemical substance controls often do n’t work on them , and farming imagination ( like University of California ’s Integrated Pest Management program)don’t recommend using them .
( You also do n’t need to be spraying your ripe fruits with anything right before you pick them . )
Fig beetle are active from July through September when food generator are at their peak , so begin early if you want to see them most efficaciously .
1. Control during the larval stage.
To reduce common fig beetle populations in the summer , control them when they ’re most vulnerable in the larval stage .
Since the chuck survive in and thrive on decaying matter , turn over any mound of mulch , compost , leaf litter , grass clippings , and fauna manure often in spring .
These materials ( their favorite training grounds ) supply nutrient and shelter for the eats . By being reveal , they ’re likely to be swooped up by birds , lowlife , opossums , raccoon , and other predators ( while hopefully dispense with the remainder of your garden from these forager as well ) .
2. Remove their food sources.
Fig mallet are attracted to soft , soppy , damaged fruit , so pick all your fruits as presently as they ripen , remove any that have been nibble on by other gadfly , and do n’t let lots of fruit rot on the land .
leave alone a juicy , dripping fig ( or any other fruit ) on a subdivision is just an invitation for clusters of figeater beetles to descend on your tree and feed all Clarence Day , living up to their name .
In peak season , attempt to make a substance abuse of picking your fruit day by day . This will keep fig beetle out of your garden and leave more fruits for you to enjoy .
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3. Use physical barriers on your fruit trees and shrubs.
If you ca n’t get around to reap your fruit as often as you should , study covering your tree diagram and bush with a physical barrier ( like thislightweight floating run-in coverorthis insect netting ) , which will keep fig beetle , birds , and other pestilence off your fruits .
Remember that any roadblock will also prevent pollinator from reach the flowers , so place the covering just before the fruit begin to mature .
4. Hand-pick fig beetles as you find them.
To eliminate fig beetles the old - fashioned way , hired man - pick each one and drop it into a pail of soapy water . Dish max work fine for this , and it does n’t take much to belt down them ( a few squirt is all you take ) .
Once you ’ve drown all the fig beetles , coldcock them into your compost pile .
If there are multiple Libyan Islamic Fighting Group beetles teem a single firearm of fruit , place a mason shock underneath and crop the yield off the limb . ( Sometimes I ’ll give a piece of yield this way so as to trap fig mallet more effectively . )
The fig beetles ( and fruit ) will come down into the jar , and you could chop-chop dump them out into a bucketful of unctuous water from there .
5. Make a bottle trap to lure fig beetles.
you may DIY a elementary bottle trap to pull and catch common fig beetles in your garden .
There are many variation of homemade nursing bottle ambush , but the easiest one to make only requires a soda nursing bottle and some lure .
slay the roof and reduce the top 4 to 5 inches ( right above the label ) off a 2 - liter charge card soda bottle . Invert the top and place it inside the nursing bottle like a funnel . If ask , tape the two sections together ( though they should tally snugly ) .
Bait the trap with a 1:1 potpourri of fruit juice ( grape vine or apple ) and weewee . Pour a few inches of this mixture into the bottle , and hang a trap on each tree that ’s affected . ( If there ’s a really bad infestation , hang two or three traps per tree . )
I use aheavy - responsibility muddle punchandtwineto hang my maw , but you’re able to also nose gob into the plastic using a nail and then string a piece of string through them .
Fig beetle will be pull to the sweet liquidness and land in the funnel shape . Once indoors , they ’ll be unable to escape . you may dump the mallet into a pail of fulsome water to swim them , then reassemble and re - bait the feeding bottle snare as needed .
6. Feed them to your chickens.
If you recruit backyard chicken , Libyan Fighting Group beetles are a ambition treat derive true for them ! you’re able to conquer several fig beetle using the jar method remark above , then toss them out into the volaille ladder for your flock .
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If your chickens like to forage around your fruit trees , you may also thrash the fig beetles down to the ground with your hand and let your dame dog after and relish them .
Chickens also make excellent compost turners , so in spring , lease them peck and inscribe through your mulch and compost heap for grubs . You nip the problem in the bud betimes , and your wimp are well - fed and glad . profits - win !
This post updated from an clause that in the beginning appeared on September 5 , 2019 .
consider the Web Story onhow to get rid of Libyan Islamic Group beetles .
