Also, I'm just SE of Richmond, VA, if that helps.

Can't wait to hear what they are and how they are gotten rid of. I've not seen that beetle. Yikes! Mrs. G

So, I went out after work again, and they were 99% gone. I did manage to grab a few left, and got some macro shots of them

Something related to rose chafers and Japanese beetles, I'd guess. It's so early that I'd think maybe a Hoplia beetle???

(pic) http://cedarcreek.umn.edu/insects/album/024030085ap.html
Click on the info link there to read about the family, anyway.

Here's an article about one kind of Hoplia feeding on blueberry flowers and buds, and members of the family are said to feed on prunus, so the timing, etc, is why it's my guess. (I'm not a bug expert by any means!)

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/hoplia_beetles_chewing_on_blueberry_flower_buds

I just get a lot of the Japanese Beetle relatives (and them proper, of course) feeding on my roses and other flowers all the time, and we're in similar areas, so I thought I'd give a guess in case it helps :)

Yes, Hoplia genus is correct for this beetle.

I think it is a Hoplia ...monkey beetle

This post was edited by geosankie on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 23:27

I would'a put on my stompin' shoes and called in to work late. :)

Hoplia beetles can certainly be a pest of fruit trees, at least in CA's central valley, but the one in the photo shown in the link below looks nothing like yours, although I have no clue beyond this.

If the answers here don't settle it for you, you can probably identify them with patience by searching the internet. I always take a sample of a new insect to my favorite county coop. ext agent. She has a ton of experience doing this and can ID insects very quickly.

It would be a mistake to assume all the creepy crawlers in your orchard are the enemy. Most are either friends or of no consequence, while pesticides (like medications) almost always come with certain negative side affects.

Here is a link that might be useful: hooplia beetles

"the one in the photo shown in the link below looks nothing like yours""

What!? They look like twins! I used to ID bugs myself, ones that were parasitic to humans though, but a bug is a bug, no doubt photo shown is of the hoplia beetle in my professional opinion.
Wow, you missed that by 10 miles, you're on a roll this week! Color change may have fooled you, but that is more to do with photography, the antennae gave it away.

This post was edited by Drew51 on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 9:51

Looks like a completely different color to me, although I'm not even an amateur at entomology. Never did enough of it to be fluid with keys. Can't find a picture of it where it's nearly so black as in Meridith's picture.

Here's some more images.

Here is a link that might be useful: more hooplia beetles

Never mind those images, seems to contain a variety of beetles in the mix. On further checking NC seems far from the range of Hoplias.

"On further checking NC seems far from the range of Hoplias."

Wow, you're batting zero Hoplias is a genus name that includes Japanese beetles, they are even here in MI!
So 100% incorrect yet again. Hoplia callipyge
can be found as far east and North as IL.* I think that is what this beetle is? Most certainly a Hoplia!

OK, I'm totally getting where BR was coming from now!

*A revision of the Hoplia of the Nearctic Realm (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)
A.R. Hardy. 1977. Occasional Papers in Entomology 23: 48 pp.

Here is a better photo of Hoplia callipyge
.

This post was edited by Drew51 on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 9:47

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/current_ipm/05PestNews/05News1/ornament.html

They are here in NC, yes. From NC State U's link above:

"Hoopla Trivial about Hoplia trivialis

Every few years, I receive reports of early spring chafer activity. This is one of those years. Hoplia trivialis [ http://bugguide.net/node/view/3294 ] is one of the scarab beetles which develops from a typical C-shaped, white grub.

The grubs feed on the roots of turfgrasses, alfalfa, strawberries and other plants much like Japanese beetle grubs. This is one of the early flying scarabs like the spring rose beetle. Like most chafers, Hoplia trivialis adults feed on flowers and foliage of various ornamental plants. It has been reported feeding on oak leaves and they have been noticed on tree trunks and massing around flowers.

I do not see this as a problem and grub control does not seem practical. Treat as one would for Japanese beetles. Sevin would only be effective above 60 degrees F. The adult beetles return to the soil to lay eggs for a new generation of grubs. This insect has only one generation per year. "

I would hand-pick them, myself. We just have a lot of scarab beetles, mostly later in the spring, although I saw one dead black one myself the other day. The different scarabs are lots of different colors. IMHO, you'll know if they are a big above-ground problem pretty darned quickly. It's very plain to see when they are eating leaves or flowers, because they are big and will do it in front of you, often in groups, lol.

Drew, take it easy. I already said I was no insect expert and am just quickly skimming the internet. The reason I was skeptical is only because I've never read of this as being a pest of fruit trees in the east, but UC Davis has various literature on the internet about controlling this pest in the west where it is a pest.

Why take a contradiction personally? That is where a lot of negativity arises on forums. It takes all the fun out of these discussions that in the end often lead to useful information.

OK, it is probably Hoplia. Now I've learned about this beetle, but my suggestion not to automatically poison it was probably an accurate hunch.

I believe it is important to promote a reluctance to rush to the pesticide cabinet every time you see something crawling on your trees.

bug guide

Here is a link that might be useful: Vigilant Tumblebug - Canthon vigilans

That looks nothing like it Gator. The serrated exoskeleton shell edge is unique, missing on above specimen. Although a better picture could reveal more. Definitely not Canthon vigilans as the front feet are really different.
Although who knows? Bugs can vary, it's a similar beetle!
Also I wanted to apologize to Hman for my comments. I really tend to be an idiot at times. I need a life or something? I will try and keep it neutral in the future.
No need for those kind of comments, they are not productive in any way.

This post was edited by Drew51 on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 9:56

Thanks Drew- It is so refreshing when people have the character to admit a "mistake". Also, in the future I will be more careful when I contradict a trained diagnostician. I am out of my league there. As I told you elsewhere, I am happy to learn that you can't trust the coloration of photos in insect pest guides. The first photo I posted the beetle looked almost white.

Hoplia genus is correct. There are several species in the genus, all look somewhat different and may have different ranges.

Depending on what a grub eats, that may affect the coloration of the adult.

Note that google images is not a reliable guide for ID-ing of insects or many plants down to species level, too many images get posted that are incorrect.

bugguide.net is authoratative, but it has so many examples it can be hard to navigate.

The original picture I posted was from a UC Davis IPM guideline. Does the fact that I found it on Google define it as a Google image?

"OK, I'm totally getting where BR was coming from now!"

Lmao....

To whom it may concern:

The problem is when "Google experts" chime in it diminishes the voice of those who really have knowledge on a subject. You are not required to respond to every thread. If you don't know what a "Google expert" is, well, Google it I guess.

Joppa,

If you mail a picture of it to your states land grant University entomology department they will definitively ID it for you...just one of the services they do for the public.

This post was edited by bamboo_rabbit on Mon, Apr 7, 14 at 8:52

After looking through bugguide.net in the Hoplia genus, I'm pretty sure they're Hoplia Trivialis (or something VERY similar).

Thanks everyone.

The second harvestman link led to a google image page of randomly posted images that contained beetles from many families, even though the search was q=hoplia+beetle,+range.

I find that even when searching google for the exact phrase of the insect species, images pop up that are not pertinent.