How To Get Rid Of Japanese Beetles

Need to get rid of beetles? Read on to learn the answers to all of your important questions. Need help? Call our professionals today to get started

What Are Japanese Beetles?

Japanese beetles are an invasive species of beetle that is native to Japan, but made its way to the United States early in the twentieth century through the shipping industry. Since then, the Japanese beetle has spread to all 50 United States, with the worst-hit areas being states around the Mississippi River and further east, including Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee. 

Japanese beetles are a beautiful insect species whose appearance can signal impending damage to your lawn and garden. As adults, Japanese beetles have almost sparkly, metallic green bodies and copper-colored wing covers and are about 0.5 inch in length. Japanese beetles live only for a short period of time (about a month and a half) at the height of summer during which time they can carry out a lot of harm to your trees and plants. 

Why Is Japanese Beetle Control Important?

Japanese beetles are considered a destructive garden pest. They can ravage most of the leaves of flowers and plants, leaving behind only their trademark “skeletonized” leaves, a reference to the way that Japanese beetles devour every part of a leaf leaving behind only the veins. While overwintering in your lawn, Japanese beetle grubs feed on the roots of lawn grasses and other garden plants which leads to brown patches of dead or dying grass in your lawn.  

How To Eliminate Japanese Beetles In Your Lawn or Garden

People often keep any Japanese population at bay by hand-picking individual beetles off their trees and plants. Because the presence of any beetles is what attracts other beetles, taking care of individual beetles themselves can keep the population down. While not considered harmful to humans or pets, Japanese beetles are armed with sturdy spines on their legs that can pierce the skin and cause a reaction in certain people. Sometimes referred to as a “bite,” though not technically produced by the beetle’s jaws, this itchy reaction might be enough to deter you from handling individual beetles themselves.

Another method of Japanese beetle control is to introduce a disease to which they are susceptible into your garden. Called “milky spore,” this disease can be purchased at your local garden or home improvement store, and comes in the form of a white powder that is spread on your lawn once a year. The disease then spreads through the beetle population, including in grubs and eggs, providing a long-term solution. The effectiveness of this form of control has been questioned as a completely effective means of beetle control and elimination. There are several chemical and trap-like solutions to Japanese beetle control, all of which come with their own complications and drawbacks. 

If you have seen one or more Japanese beetles in your yard, take action now before these beetles attract more of their own kind and your problem becomes large and unwieldy. For the best, most effective form of beetle control, and to make sure that you rid your home of Japanese beetles for good, call a pest control service to help eliminate your pest concerns.

Find A Pest Specialist For Beetle Control

If you are concerned about beetle control for your home or yard, please give us a call or fill out the form on this page. PestControlExperts.com is a team of experts who are highly qualified to provide the best recommendations for you and your home, no matter which part of the United States you live in.