Common names: Grub, Grubworm, June Beetle, June Bug, May Beetle,
May Bug, White GrubScientific name: Order Coleoptera, family
Scarabaeidae, Phyllophaga crinita Identification: White grubs
are the larval stage of May or June beetles. Larvae are
characteristically C-shaped with a white body and tan to brown
head. The last abdominal segment is clear, allowing dark
digested material to be seen. Larvae vary in size with age and
species. Adults are medium to dark brown. Biology and life
cycle: Females lay up to forty eggs, which hatch 2 to 5 inches
inches deep in the soil in three to four weeks. Three instars.
They feed the first summer on decaying vegetation, hibernate
through the winter, and feed on organic matter and plant roots
the second summer. Adults emerge in the spring. The process can
last from one to three years. The adult beetles show up in late
March. There are over 100 species of June bugs in Texas, but
this one is responsible for almost all the damage to lawns. In
Texas this four-year cycle is cut to