Japanese Beetles

Japanese Beetle:

While it’s called Japanese beetle, it does not pose as a big threat to Japan as it is controlled by natural enemies. In America, it is considered a pest to about 200 species of plants. Some popular plants include rose bushes, many small fruits, weeds, grasses, tree fruits, and myrtle. Japanese beetles feed on most of these and about 400 other plants, but their preferable taste ranges from 50 different species. Japanese beetles can mostly be found in northern and eastern states in fruit-growing areas. They were accidentally imported to the United States in 1916 and first found in New Jersey. The numbers in the population of the Japanese beetle are immense during summer.

The Japanese Beetle is most commonly known as the scarab beetle, and it’s about 3/8th of an inch long. This oval-shaped beetle is easy to recognize by its metallic green head and hoax with copper wings.  The Japanese Beetle is known to be a generally clumsy flier during the beginning of their life cycle, but the adult beetles are pretty adept, sometimes traveling in large swarms.  When the adult Japanese beetle feels threatened, it will fake its death and drop whatever it is holding. It is known as a “lovely but destructive creature.”

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