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    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
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    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
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    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
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    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
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    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
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Japanese Beetles

Amanda's Garden Consulting Company

The Invasion of the Japanese Beetle

The British Columbia Landscape & Nursery Association has issued a warning for all gardeners, farmers, landscapers, garden centers and plant nurseries regarding the Japanese beetle. It has arrived in British Columbia. This is not good news.
Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Japanese beetles make lace out of foliage.
The Japanese beetle is a very destructive pest, so much so that it might end up being a game changer for the plant industry and home gardeners alike. The Eastern United States has been dealing with this beetle for numerous years, but they have proper winters, with months of below freezing temperatures; we don’t.  In the Lower Mainland of BC and most of the Pacific Northwest our winters are mild, which will not kill any overwintering Japanese beetles. Again, this is not good news.

Restrictions

Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
An adult Japanese beetle.
Restrictions: As June 15 to October 15, the movement of all plant material including plant prunings, leaves, grass-clippings and weeds are restricted within the designated restricted areas of Vancouver. We have to catch this in the bud, hence the constraints. Since the initial Japanese beetle finding was in False Creek, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has restricted the movement of plants and soil from False Creek, Chinatown and Mount Pleasant.
​

The area is bounded by Burrard Street in the west, from English Bay up to West 12th Avenue, along 12th from Burrard to Clark Drive, and in the east along Clark Drive from East 12th to Burrard Inlet.
Weekly recycling of green waste will continue as the trucks are enclosed so the beetles cannot fly out (hopefully). To further reduce the spread of infestation, plants must be shaken to ensure the beetle isn’t present then they can be placed into the green waste bin.

The threat of this beetle is so serious that the City of Vancouver is applying the larvacide Acelepryn, to all lawns in public areas, including numerous parks: David Lam, George Wainborne, Coopers’, Charleson, Sutcliffe, Emery Barnes, May & Lorne Brown, Crab Park and Thornton). It’s not harmful to animals, butterflies, pollinating insects, pets or people.

What to look for

Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Note the white tufts of hair in their rear abdomens.
The adults eat the green tissue between the leaves so that only the veins remain (skeletonizing) so they resemble lace. Symptoms will appear at the top of the plant at first then will continue downwards.  They like to feed on plants in hot sun. When disturbed they drop to the ground. 

Appearance

Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
The beetles have an iridescent, blue-green hue.
​Adult Japanese beetles are ½ inches long with metallic looking bluish-green heads. They have copper coloured backs and beige wings. They have distinctive small white hairs that line each side of their rear abdomen. 

Life Cycle

Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Their larvae looks very similar to a chafer beetle grub.
In June, adult beetles lay their eggs in soil. The eggs hatch underground to become ¾ inch white grubs with brown heads and six legs. They are similar but smaller than chafer grubs. (Birds & critters love them too).  The larvae overwinter in the soil and emerge in late June into July as adults.  The females feed on trees, roses and shrubs and return to lay more eggs in the lawn in the afternoon. The males however, continue to feed.  Note that adult Japanese beetles feed in groups causing severe damage on above plant parts, while the grubs eat plant roots – including lawns. 

What they Feed On

They devour more than 300 different kinds of plants, including blackberries, which grow wild here –uh-oh. The feed on foliage, flowers and damaged fruit. 
  • ​American linden
  • apple
  • apricot
  • asparagus
  • beans
  • birch
  • blueberries
  • crepe myrtle
  • cherry
  • corn
  • crab apple
  • grapes
  • Japanese maple
  • linden
  • Norway maple
  • peach
  • pin oak
  • plum
  • raspberries
  • roses
  • Virginia creeper
Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
This rose doesn't have a chance.

Less susceptible Plants

  • ash
  • boxwood
  • burning bush
  • cabbage
  • carrots
  • cauliflowers​
  • dogwood
  • ​eggplant
  • hemlock
  • holly
  • ​lettuce
  • magnolia

  • onions
  • parsley
  • peas
  • ​potatoes
  • radishes
  • red maple  
  • red oak
  • redbud
  • ​spinach
  • squash
  • sweet potatoes
  • tomatoes
  • turnips


Controls

​Shaking Plants:
Since they drop to the ground when disturbed, shake the plant so the beetles will drop onto a drop cloth. Gather the insects and drop them into a container of soapy water. Do this in the morning when they are sluggish.
Row covers:
Floating row covers are a super way to protect vulnerable veggie crops. Cover crops with hoops with spun bonded polyester over top the hoops or plastic to make a mini greenhouse.
Handpick:
For those that are not squeamish, then place in a container full of soapy water. Fun times. 
Traps:
Apparently, Japanese beetle traps may entice the beetles to your garden. Unfortunately the traps don’t trap the adults effectively. If you do want to try them out, place traps away from the plants they like to feast on. 
Spraying Plants:
Other forms of control includes spraying the adults as they feed. No matter what you use, you have to hit the beetle in order to kill it. Read the instructions on the product label before applying. Don’t spray on windy days, just before rain, and don’t spray anything including soap on water when the sun is shining on the plant.
Neem Oil:
An added benefit of using neem oil is the beetles pass on the harmful chemical to the larvae killing both stages of the beetle. Don’t apply neem oil anywhere there are bodies of water with fish.
Soap & Water:
Combine 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent into 1 cup of vegetable oil then shake well. Pour the mixture into 1 quart of water then add 1 cup of rubbing alcohol. Shake vigorously then pour into a spray bottle. Don’t spray when the sun is shining on them, just before it rains and on windy days. Repeat every 10 days until all subsequent populations of the beetle are dead.
​Killing Grubs:
In April/May and October/November, spray the lawn with 2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing liquid to 1 gallon of water. The grubs will come to the surface so you can pick them up or leave them to the birds and critters.
Plant Selection:
It makes sense to avoid plants that attract Japanese beetles or at least disperse their favorite plants rather than grouping them together. Companion planting is also a useful practice. Plant rue, tansy and garlic around your vulnerable plants.
Beneficial Insects:
Attract parasitic wasps (Tiphia vernalis or T. popilliavora) by planting peonies. The peonies are not damaged by the wasp, but the wasps love them.  Preferred peonies are Big Ben, Sarah Bernhardt, Bowl of Beauty and Festiva Maxima. Another favorite plant for the wasps are Queen Anne’s Lace. 
beneficial wasps,Tiphia vernalis,Tiphia popilliavora,Paeonia Bowl of Beauty,Japanese beetles,larvae,insect pest,the garden website.com,thegardenwebsite.com,Amanda's Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Bowl of Beauty attracts beneficial wasps that prey on Japanese Beetles- yay! And they are so pretty too.

Report

​If you think you have seen this pest on your property or on public lands, please contact http://www.inspection.gc.ca/jb or call 1-800-442-2342. It is essential that we all work together to control this very harmful species.

More Info....

​http://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plant-pests-invasive-species/insects/japanese-beetle/jb-vancouver/homeowners-and-renters/eng/1525841706891/1525841707749

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Copyright © 2017
Photos used under Creative Commons from Ryan Hodnett, dw_ross, coneslayer, Ryan Hodnett, newagecrap Kristine Paulus
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tour Blogs
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?