What kind of bug is this?

[saberz]

Had a metallic green beetle land on my head last friday at work. I got freaked out because i felt something crawling on my head. Flicked it onto the table and gave it a beat down that its predecessors and next of kin would have felt.

At my Apartment complex at night, there are thousands of Lightening bugs, it's pretty cool to see them light up. Like starring into the night sky when its clear.

 

[mechtech2]

Anies - Those sure are stunningly beautiful, aren't they? [Japanese beetle that destroys elm trees.]

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Anies - Those sure are stunningly beautiful, aren't they? [Japanese beetle that destroys elm trees.]


I can't quite get the 'scale' of the size of "June Bugs" from the posted pic.

Just how much larger are they than Japanese Beetles, which used to be plentful around here.

But I'm not sure that is what landed on Anies' head as I've also seen (albeit rarely) a large, bright metallic solid green beetle around here.
Whereas the Japanese Beetles have a brownish coloring (almost like the June Bug pic) with iridescent greenish highlights on the wing covers.

 

[tom slick]

The June bugs I've been around are about the size of a large Japanese beetle and smaller, maybe the size of a large honey bee.

(stolen from http://www.thelittlegreenapple.com)

These are my favorite, and are about the size of a Japanese beetle

(stolen from www.wikipedia.com)

 

[UncleS2]

Yup, June bug, got tons of 'em here. Factoid: when I was a kid, we used to play ouside on summer nights in our small town. Bats used to dive in after tiny bugs under the streetlights. Of course we threw stuff at the bats- small rocks, handfuls of fine gravel from the gutters- and sometimes, handfuls of June bugs!

Take *That*, bat!

 

[jmac]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver


But I'm not sure that is what landed on Anies' head as I've also seen (albeit rarely) a large, bright metallic solid green beetle around here.



That solid metallic green beetle, do they fly lazily around the yard during the day? Had those a couple of summers now and I took the trouble to look them up last year but now cannot remember the name of them, but seem to remember they are another Asian import beetle of some sort. A little bigger than a standard June bug.

What I was mainly doing was making sure they weren't Emerald Ash borers, watch out for those guys.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/27/AR2008082701175.html

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Would have said a Christmas Beetle, cept you aren't in Oz.

Looking at them, our Christmas Beetles are pretty close relations.

The ones that most closely resemble yours grow about 5/8 long, and there are others that are well over an inch and hurt like crazy if they hit your hand while surfing it out the car window.


yes, a christmas beetle.

i guess they get named as to when they come out of the woodwork. christmas being in sum,mer here, and june beetles in the north because well summer is in june onwards...

 

[JHZR2]

We call them Japanese Beetles.