Blue-Winged Wasp

Beth Scheckelhoff (OSU Extension Putnam County) reported she observed large numbers of Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida, family Scarabaeidae) buzz-bombing the OSU Ag campus yesterday. The behavior of the adults and larvae (grubs) of this North American native makes this beetle a legitimate summer oddity.

Green June Beetles (Cotinis nitida, family Scarabaeidae) are making their annual appearance en masse to terrorize gardeners, golfers, sunbathers, small children, and pets as they buzz home lawns and golf courses. Despite the "June" in their common name, these beetles always appear on the scene in July in Ohio.

I came across a green June beetle larva (grub) last Thursday slowly slinking across a driveway. This is one of largest and strangest white grubs you'll ever see in Ohio. First, the mature grubs are huge measuring well over 1" in length. They look like white grubs on steroids.

Blue-winged wasps are continuing to make low-level flights over lawns in southwest Ohio. As their common name implies, the wasps have dark blue wings. Their legs and thorax are also dark blue. However, their most distinguishing features are two light-yellow spots at the top of their orange-tipped abdomens.