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Japanese Beetles: 11 Facts You Should Know

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The Japanese beetle is a green, striped pest that eats the leaves of your prized plants. This blog post has loads of interesting facts about  Japanese beetles you should care about.
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About Them 

What are Japanese Beetles?

Japanese Beetles are a type of insect native to Asia and found in the United States since 1868. These beetles can be beneficial because they eat other insects, especially grubs which can destroy crops. 
The Japanese beetle is a green, striped pest that eats the leaves of your prized plants. Did you know they can fly up to 30 miles and lay as many as 500 eggs in one day? They are also attracted to damaged plants and will continue eating until there’s nothing left. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to protect your garden from these pesky beetles with just a few simple steps. 

This blog post has loads of interesting facts about  Japanese beetles you should care about.

tlc.japanese beetle katja schulz flickr

They are Super Active at Night

Japanese Beetles are most active at night. Light does not attract these bugs like many other types of insects

Their feeding habit is as follows

  • Adult bugs feed on plant juices 
  • Larvae feed on roots and tunnel through the soil. 

Sometimes they are referred to as”spotted cucumber beetles” because they eat cucumbers and squashes.

They are Easy to Spot

Japanese Beetles, unlike many pests, are easy to identify. 

Mature Japanese Beetles: 

  • Measure about ½ long 
  • Have silvery shells
  • Have copper-colored wings 

Their harm is visible, as their pointed, biting mouthparts skeletonize leaves, leaving only the vascular region behind.

They Avoid Some Plants

They are known to consume around 300 different types of plants. They appear to dislike: 

  • Boxwood, 
  • Magnolia, 
  • Redbud

Growing plant species that are not the preferences of the insect is one organic kind of Japanese Beetle Prevention you can use. However, it is not a failsafe strategy.

6

Short Life Span

The Japanese Beetle don’t survive long, with each beetle living about 1 Month and 15 days on average.

A short lifetime may appear to be advantageous for dealing with this native species. However, keep in mind that when there is an infection by a significant population, there will always be another one to take an individual’s position. 

That is why the Japanese beetle exists.

They Enjoy Sunlight 

On bright days, you’re most likely to witness a lot of Japanese Beetles. Their affinity for the sun is yet another reason you will easily spot them, since you’ll usually find them on top of your plants, lounging in the strong sunlight while they eat… your backyard space.

Group Feeding

Japanese beetles are often in big groups. One beetle isn’t likely to do much harm by itself.  But while it eats, it produces a Chemical substance known as  “congregation pheromone” to attract other beetles of its sort.

The particular Japanese Beetle will then appear to have invited all of his friends to feast on your plant with him. At this moment,  you will begin to observe the harm.

They Cannot Bite You

Japanese beetles do not bite.  They might try to grip you using their mandibles. However, the mandibles are too feeble to harm you. 

The sharp spines on their legs may feel uncomfortable on your skin but that’s the farthest they can go. 

They are Repellent to Some Scents

They use their antenna to detect odors that lure them to partners and different vegetation. Wormwood oil, teaberry oil, neem oil, peppermint oil, Wintergreen, chives, and garlic are fragrances Japanese beetles despise.

7

They Have No Natural Predators In Some Areas

Japanese beetles are a type of pest that is known to destroy crops. Unfortunately, they have no natural predators in the United States (which means you have to do it).

These beetles eat plants and leaves, which can cause plant death. As if this weren’t bad enough for farmers already, these beetles also spread diseases like coffee wilt and tomato spotted wilt virus! 

However, there are ways to control Japanese beetle populations by using insecticides or traps.

They Take A Full Year to Complete Their Metamorphosis 

This beetle spends around ten months as a larva under the ground. The white grubs return to the grass in springtime and start feeding on roots till late spring when they pupate. 

The pupae develop into adult beetles and emerge from the surface after about two weeks. It takes a year for this cycle to complete.

Removing Grubs in Your Grass Will not Prevent Beetle Damage

Avoiding grubs in your yard is an excellent lawn care strategy for preventing grass damage in spring and early summer-fall. On the other hand, Beetles are excellent fliers and can travel hundreds of miles to forage and mate.

Beetles frequently lay eggs in landscaping beds and fields. It is especially true when the ground is dry and firm. The grubs will then develop into beetles, which will consume the plants.

However,  you can control them manually. You can throw them off plants and drown and perish in a container of water and detergent. 

Collect regularly during the day, immediately after the sun shines and has heated the soil. Or you can collect them just before dark when females are preparing to lay eggs.

Manually selecting beetles from trees may appear to be a boring and challenging process – but you may be amazed at how simple and more effective it is in controlling them

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Conclusion

We do not advocate using the Japanese beetle traps that are commonly sold in large box retailers. These can catch some insects but frequently wind up attracting millions of beetles to your yard to feed on your garden or grass.

Fertilizers are generally discouraged because they tend to kill other synergistic insects such as butterflies, honey bees, and earthworms. That’s why we encourage you to use natural methods such as insect netting to keep at bay.

EyouAgro offers the best and most effective preventive netting products for flower pests. We also provide advice on how to control Japanese beetles. Our products such as Japanese beetle netting is reasonably priced and come with a warranty backed and after-sale service. We provide a variety of related netting and accessories to meet your needs. Our primary goal is to make farmers’ lives easier and assist them in taking care of their plants. Our services are simply the greatest, and you cannot afford to overlook them.

Kindly contact us at info@eyouagro.com or visit https://eyouagro.com for more information.

Hey, I’m Kevin Lyu, the founder of eyouagro.com , Family-run business
An expert of agriculture protection textile specialist .
In the past 26 years, we have helped 55 countries and 150+ Clients like farms, orchards , vineyards to protect their plants. The purpose of this article is to share with the knowledge related to agriculture growing protection for making the plant healthier and stronger.
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Kevin Lyu
Agrotextile Specialists

Hey, I’m the author of this post,
In the past 26 years, we have helped 55 countries and 150+ Clients like farms, orchards, and vineyards to protect their plants and crops. 
If you have any problems with it,
call us for a free, no-obligation quote
or discuss your solution.

We are at your disposal for any technical or commercial information

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