Japanese
beetle
Rufus
Isaacs, MSU
Entomology |
 |
Adult beetles are about 13 mm long
with a metallic green thorax and shiny, brown wing coverings.
Rows of white tufts are distinctive on the undersides of the
abdomen. Male and female beetles congregate on the tops of
plants in sunlight, where they feed and mate. Adult beetle
emergence begins in early June in North Carolina and early
July in Michigan. |
| Adult
beetles feed on ripe fruit and foliage. |
|
|
| Mating occurs
as soon as females emerge from the ground. Then they seek grassy
areas with moist soil to lay eggs. Eggs are 1 to 2 mm in diameter,
spherical and white, and are laid 5 to 10 cm deep in the soil in
batches throughout the female beetle's month-long life. C-shaped,
cream-colored grubs with brown heads and three pairs of legs develop
in the soil, becoming 3 cm long when fully grown. |
 |
 |
| C-shaped
grubs are found in soil under grassy areas | Japanese
beetle grubs have hairs in a distinctive V pattern. |
|
Japanese
beetle grubs can be distinguished from similar grubs by two rows
of seven hairs in a V shape on the inside of the posterior segment.
Beetles are best detected on blueberry bushes during calm, hot,
cloudless afternoons. Traps for monitor-ing Japanese beetle are
highly attractive but can increase the number of beetles flying
into an area. In small plantings, beetles can be removed from
bushes. Control of attractive weed hosts and removal of grassy
areas in and around fields during July and August can reduce field
suitability for Japanese beetle. Biological control agents suppress
populations in areas where the beetle is established. |
