Welcome to Japanese Beetle Season

The hot, sunny summer days that we're experiencing create the perfect climate for Japanese beetles to do their worst damage to your lawn and garden.

Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) were accidentally introduced to the United States just over a century ago, and have spread to almost every state in the country. Unlike in their native Japan, there are no natural predators to keep Japanese beetles in check in the United States.

And when left unchecked, these little creatures can do some major damage to lawns and gardens. Japanese beetles cause different types of damage throughout their life cycle.

In the heat of the summer, it is the adult beetles who are emerging to feast on the leaves, flowers and fruits of more than 300 plants species. Their feeding weakens the plant in general and creates a skeletonized appearance to the leaves. Common plants that these beetles damage include rose bushes, crabapple trees, birch tree, and many kinds of fruit trees.

You can identify Japanese beetles by their metallic green bodies and bronze wings. The adults emerge in mid-summer and especially like the hotter temperatures.

During their summer feeding frenzy, the female Japanese beetles are also tunneling into the ground to lay their eggs, which will hatch during mid-summer. The newly hatched larvae (or grubs) stay close to the ground surface, feeding on the roots of the grass.

The feeding habits of these grubs leads to lawn damage later in the summer, as patches of grass turn brown and die.

With no natural predators, controlling the damage done by Japanese beetles starts with controlling the population in your yard. Japanese beetles can be treated in different parts of their life cycle with different products targeting the larvae (grubs) and the adult beetles.

If you are battling a beetle infestation, give us a call to discuss controlling your population of Japanese beetles and minimizing their damage to your lawn and garden.