What is a Japanese Beetle?
The Japanese beetle is a small beetle with bronze wings and a metallic green thorax. The abdomen looks to be black and white because of white tufts of hair. They belong to the scarab beetle family, which also includes June bugs. Like most scarab beetles, their larvae are white, C-shaped grubs that live underground. As larvae, they can grow to be about an inch long, although as adults they are only half an inch.
What Do They Eat?
The Japanese beetle often feeds in large groups of up to 25 beetles. They feed on a wide variety of plants and prefer to eat the top portion of plants that are in the sunlight. They like to eat the soft parts of the leaves, leaving a skeleton of veins behind. They also eat flowers and fruits as they are attracted to pleasant smelling foliage. They are a danger to farms and gardens as they can prevent pollination and the larvae eat roots of many different kinds of plants.
When Do They Emerge?
Japanese beetles spend the winter as partially grown grub in the soil below the frost line. In the spring, they feed on grass roots and pupate near the soil surface. Between May and July, adults emerge and feed for 30 – 45 days in groups working from the tops of the plants downwards. This year the Japanese beetles have been active for a longer period of time. After feeding and mating, females lay 1 – 5 eggs at a time before feeding and mating again. They will repeat the pattern until a total of 40 – 60 eggs are laid in grassy areas under the soil. Most are laid by mid-August. Japanese beetle adults are active for about six weeks in the summer. After 8 – 14 days, the eggs will hatch and the young grubs feed on grass roots until the cold winter drives them below the frost line.
How to Get Rid of Them
If you see Japanese beetles, chances are that they will work quickly to destroy the trees and foliage around your home. Remember your licensed pest control company will kill the Japanese beetles that are on the foliage, and the chemical that was used, leaves a residual that kills any further infestations. If you have an infestation, your neighbors probably also have a problem, that will cause the insects to visit your trees even after you have been treated. It is best to try to treat as much of the surrounding area that is affected to control this pest.
Healthy Lawns = No Grubs
Grub preventative is important to help control the larvae that are being put into the ground by the mating females to prevent a bigger outbreak next year and to aid in preventing root damage caused by the Japanese beetle larvae. Usually, grubs are treated in June, but this year it is imperative to get a second application on the lawns for these grubs. Remember to call a Lake of the Ozarks professional pest control company.
Get Rid of Your Summer Pest with A B Pest Control & Insulation
If you see Japanese beetles or any other summer pest, call A B Pest Control & Insulation. Calling an expert is the best way to effectively get rid of pests that invade your home and yard. A professional pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks knows the different types of insects that invade Lake homes and what type of pesticides to use to get rid of them. If you have an infestation, call us at 573-964-1100.
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