THE WHITE GRUB OR JUNE-BUG
[Illustration: White grub feeding on roots of corn plant, enlarged.]
This insect is more familiar to country children in the grub stage.
Every one who has followed a plow in rich sod land has seen these fat,
white coiled grubs roll down into the furrow when the plow turns them
up. They are in the ground feeding on the roots of plants. Often all the
roots of grass in lawns and meadows are eaten off and the sod dies and
can be rolled up like strips of carpet. This insect breeds largely in
sod and when this is plowed under and other crops are planted the grubs
may injure them severely. Corn, wheat, oats and truck crops are
severely injured. In some cases the grubs may feed for three years
before they change to the pupa and later to the adult beetle. To control
this pest, plow in the fall and rotate crops, so that sod will not
remain on the same land too long.
[Illustration: June beetle showing stages of development. The larva or
grub worm is feeding on roots under ground; the pupa and adult are shown
above ground.]
The beetles come from the ground or may be plowed out in May and June
and are commonly spoken of as May-beetles or June-bugs. They are usually
of a yellowish-brown color and are often troublesome coming into the
house at night where they buzz about the light, bumping into everything
until they finally drop heavily to the floor. All country boys and girls
know these beetles.
OBSERVATIONS AND STUDIES
Collect a number of the grubs from the ground and examine them for legs,
eyes and mouth. How many legs have they? Can you find eyes? What use
would they have for eyes while in the ground? Do they bite? Place them
on the table and see how they move. What color are they? Do you find
spines or hair on their bodies? Pull up a little grass by the roots and
put it in a jelly tumbler with soil and put some of the grubs in with
it. Water it so as to keep it growing and follow the development of the
grubs.
Collect some of the beetles and put them in a bottle and watch them
crawl about. Where are their wings? How can they get them out when they
want to fly? How many legs have they? Examine the tip of the feet for
hooks. What are these used for? Can they chew leaves? Where are their
eyes? Do you find feelers and if so where?
Write a short description of the grub and the beetle and make careful
drawings of them.