Many species of May beetles may damage pecans early in the spring. The
beetles appear only at night and spend the day concealed beneath the
surface of the soil. They feed on the young leaves and prevent the
foliage from developing.
Beetles of the most common species are one-half to three-fourths inch
long and shiny dark brown. They are attracted to lights and are observed
commonly on porches or screen doors at night. The larvae are the
grubworms, or white grubs, which feed in the soil on the roots of many
plants.
The female beetle deposits eggs in the soil, where the larva develops.
Most species require two summers for the larva to mature. Pupation is
accomplished in a cell which is constructed in the ground in the fall of
the second year. The beetles emerge the following spring. Both larvae
and adults may be found in the soil during the winter.
_Control._—May beetles are usually a problem in orchards which are not
cultivated because the larvae feed on the roots of the sod cover.
Cultivation of the orchard periodically will reduce the food supply of
the grubs, and smaller infestations of adults will appear the following
year. Where cultivation is not feasible, sprays will control the adults.
Apply 2 pounds of 50 percent DDT wettable powder; 4 pounds of lead
arsenate; or 1 pound of 25 percent parathion wettable powder per 100
gallons of water when damage by this insect is severe[9].