Japanese Beetle Damage to Trees, Turf, and Landscape Plants
Adult Japanese beetles feed in groups on leaves and flowers of hundreds of plant species, while their grubs damage lawn and garden roots below ground.
Free Estimate within 24 Hours
An introduced pest without natural predators
The Japanese beetle was accidentally introduced to the U.S. in the early 1900s and has spread across the country without the natural predators that keep its population in check back in its native Japan. In North America it's now a significant pest of hundreds of plant species, and it's found in most states east of the Mississippi River as well as here in the Midwest.
Identifying adult beetles
Adults measure about 1/2 inch (roughly 15 mm) long, with an iridescent copper-colored back and a metallic green head and body. They feed in groups on the flowers and leaves of over 300 plant species, attacking a wide range of landscape plants, including roses, grapes, hops, cannas, crape myrtles, birch, and linden.
In the Omaha area, linden, birch, sand cherry, buckthorn shrubs, and roses tend to be hit the hardest.
The grub stage and turf damage
Females lay eggs in the soil during June. The resulting grubs are white with brown heads and six legs, growing to about 3/4 inch, and they feed on lawn and garden roots. That root feeding shows up above ground as irregularly shaped patches of dead, dying, or wilted grass, and it's typically addressed with lawn insecticide applications.
A defoliator alongside other Omaha-area pests
Japanese beetle is grouped with the bagworm, elm leaf beetle, prairie tent caterpillar, and pine sawfly as one of the defoliating insects that strip leaves from area plants.
