— by Dr. Jeff Whitworth and Dr. Holly Davis
Adults of both green June beetles and Japanese beetles seem to be ramping up their activity throughout eastern Kansas. These two relatively large, conspicuous beetles are being confused. Green June beetles, at 1 inch long, are considerably larger than Japanese beetles. Also, green June beetles are green to copperish green in color and more pointed toward the anterior (head) end. Japanese beetles are probably only 1/3 to ½ as big as the green June beetle. They also have small, but highly visible, little white tufts of hair on both sides of the abdomen sticking out from under the elytra.
Japanese beetles may be found feeding on silks in corn fields and/or pollen or leaves in soybeans while green June beetles are more confined to feeding on nectar from flowering bushes or trees close to where the larval stage, i.e. grubs, were developing in the soil. Green June beetles are not an agricultural concern while Japanese beetles occasionally can be.