PEST ALERT: Japanese Beetle | What You Need to Know

IDENTIFY & REPORT via ISCBC CLICK HERE  

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FACT SHEET JAPANESE BEETLE LOOK ALIKES and other useful information 

FACT SHEET FAQ About Yard Waste and how JB feeds  

How do I know if it is a Japanese Beetle or European Chafer grub?Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) have distinct visual markings the larvae can be difficult to distinguish from the European Chafer. Click on the link to see the key difference between the two as well as learn a little bit more about this life stage of the beetle.Japanese Beetle Larvae:

• 1” long at maturity
• off-white colour 
• C-shaped body

Japanese Beetle Adult:

• 3/8” long 
• oval-shaped body
• bronzed outer wings
• 6 tufts of white hair along each edge of the abdomen

MARCH 2022 Update The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has expanded the geographic boundary of the existing Japanese beetle regulated area within the City of Vancouver, and created a new Japanese beetle regulated area within the City of Burnaby. 
 Map of updated areasVancouver regulated areaBurnaby regulated area
 The regulated area was expanded due to the detections of Japanese beetle in Burnaby, Port Coquitlam, and various areas in South Vancouver. The BC Plant Protection Advisory Committee (BCPPAC) recommended the expansion due to these detections, and a new Japanese Beetle Ministerial Order was signed on March 19, 2022.
 The expansion allows for the movement of regulated articles only within these regulated areas without certification to prevent the spread of Japanese beetle into pest-free, unregulated areas. Movement of regulated articles outside of the regulated area are restricted and will require a movement certificate issued by the CFIA. A complete summary of changes can be found on the CFIA website. 

- For information about the regulated area for Japanese beetle and current movement restrictions in place in Vancouver, or to get a movement certificate to move regulated materials out of the regulated area, please visit the CFIA’s website.

It is  important to understand the difference between European Chafer Grubs and Japanese Beetle Grubs.

Neither of these pests look like our beneficial native Garden Beetle or Garden Beetle Larva

Japanese beetle is present throughout most of eastern North America. The CFIA places traps across southern British Columbia each summer as part of a surveillance network to alert the CFIA of any new introductions of the beetle. Each trap includes a pheromone and a plant volatile lure to attract the insect. Japanese beetle was detected in British Columbia for the first time in 2017. Adult Japanes beetles were found in CFIA traps placed around False Creek in Vancouver.

Adult: Oval outline from above, almost 10 millimetres long and 6 millimetres wide, abdomen, thorax and head metallic green with metallic copper-brown wing coverings and contrasting white tufts of hair along the sides and rear of the abdomen, active on warm sunny days from late June to late summer ( as observed in Ontario )

Biology

There is only one generation per year. Adults appear in summer and are very active for about 6 to 8 weeks. In the Niagara area they begin to emerge from the soil in late June or early July, but do not reach their peak until late July and August, then gradually disappear. Their normal life span is from 30 to 45 days. They feed on fruit and foliage of a great variety of plants. Beetles begin flying when the temperature is about 21°C. Their flight is aimless except in response to chemical stimuli of food plants or sex pheromone. Most flights are short distances, but the beetle is capable of flying up to 8 kilometres with the wind.

Feeding is most extensive on clear summer days when the temperature is between 21°C and 35°C, and the Relative Humidity is above 60%. There is little feeding on cloudy and windy days and no feeding on rainy days.

FACT SHEETS Available here