Apple Tree Questions

[Blaqout]

Hello all,

We live in middle Tennessee (Near Chattanooga) and have two young apple trees in our back yard. We just discovered some sort of beetles eating the leaves and I was hoping someone can ID these things and maybe share some advice on what I should do.

Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[Chuck]

Those are June Bugs. Although they do eat your apple tree their main harmful attribute is that they can destroy your lawn. These guys will land on your grass and lay their eggs in the soil and these eggs will hatch into grub worms. Then these grubs worms will eat the roots of your lawn grass, killing it. You can buy or make traps for them and also spray them. Neem Oil works about as good as anything on the adult beetles. The good news is that they will not be around very long and will soon dissappear into your lawn grass. Beneficial nematodes are what is best to kill the grub worms although there are poisons that work effectively also.