Amber Betts
WSDA Communications
There have been more than 20,000 Japanese beetles caught in
Grandview this summer. Sound the alarm, ring the bell, this is not good news. If
established in our state, we could see dire results to our crops, our gardens,
and even our grass.
These invasive beetles almost double the human population in
Grandview, and it keeps climbing. Our Pest Program staff are working to
determine just how widespread the beetle has become.
So far, the beetles are being detected in the highest
numbers in the residential area of Grandview. A few, however, have crossed the
road into rural areas where the crops many people rely on for our living are
found. Adult Japanese beetles love to feast on more than 300 plants, including
roses, grapes, apples, hops, and grass. They are highly destructive, difficult and
expensive to eradicate or control.
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| Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica). |
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a garden pest
native to northern Japan. The adults eat the leaves, buds, and flowers of
plants while the larvae attack the roots, particularly the roots of grasses.
How did they get here?
We’ve been trapping for Japanese beetle since the 1980s and
occasionally find that they’ve caught a ride to our state, normally on a plane
from an infested area in the Eastern U.S. But it has been more than a decade
since even a single beetle has been detected beyond the vicinity of an airport.
The larvae are found in soil associated with the roots of host plants, they are
common under turf or sod and can be moved in potted plants.
What are we doing?
If you’ve been in Grandview at all in the recent months, you
have likely seen traps hanging all over the city. That’s us, trying to determine
the extent of the infestation. At the end of the season, we will look at the
data we’ve collected and begin formulating a plan on how to eradicate these
pests.
What can Grandview citizens do?
If you live in Grandview and have hung Japanese beetle traps,
please report your trapping results.
If you have seen the beetles on your property, consider treating your lawn
following WSU’s
treatment guidelines. Not all products labeled to treat your property for
Japanese beetles are effective; WSU’s guidelines let you know which ones can
work and how to properly apply
them.
What happens next?
Trapping for Japanese beetles will continue at least through
September, after which our staff will begin removing the hundreds of traps
currently in the area. The trapping results will inform both the eradication
plans which are anticipated for next spring as well as a quarantine which is
being considered to prevent the unintentional movement of the beetles into
beetle-free areas of the state.
Get email
updates on our progress and join our Japanese Beetle Watch Facebook
group for the latest information and to connect with others working on
responding to this introduction.