Japanese Beetle

Summer is when Japanese Beetles are at their most destructive, and they certainly aren’t picky eaters when it comes to plants in your garden. This invasive species is hard to control and can leave your trees and shrubs literal skeletons. They feed in groups, which is why the damage is so extensive. The beetles don’t live long, only about 40 days, and in that time their focus is on eating all your greenery down to the veins and laying eggs in your lawn.

Japanese Beetles can be identified by their metallic blue-green heads, coppery backs, and distinct white hairs on their abdomen. The C-shaped grubs overwinter in turf where they feed on grass roots and leave your lawn with brown, dying patches. The beetles emerge from July through August, and once established in your yard, they can be hard to get rid of.  We highly recommend taking preventative measures.

If you start seeing dead spots in your lawn during winter, take initiative immediately with Bonide Grub Beater. For the adult beetles, we recommend Bonide systemic insect control, but only use it when pollinators are not present on the plant. If you don’t want any friendly fire to occur while getting rid of the beetles, manually remove the beetles by hand and toss them into a container of soapy water. Japanese Beetle trap bags are also available on Amazon.