Beetles chomp leaves, flowers and fruits of more than 275 plant species, most everything except vegetables, late June and early July. Adults skeletonize leaves and eat flowers and fruits. Larvae cause brown patches of lawn to roll up like carpet. In summer, adults feed for about 6 weeks, then lay eggs in soil.
Cycle can take two years.
Spray heavy infestations with Sevin according to label directions, or use a botanical insecticide such as neem or pyrethrum. If you use traps, place them far, far away from your plants. Beetles known to play dead when disturbed so shake onto a cloth and destroy by placing them in a can of soapy water. Mature, healthy plants generally recover so let nature take its course. Last year's drought adversely affected the water-dependent beetles, meaning there should have been fewer larvae to overwinter in the soil and emerge as adult beetles this year, says Pete Schultz, director of the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach.