JAPANESE BEETLES were introduced to the states in the early 1900's in New Jersey. Since that time they have spread west an have finally reached Minnesota. These beetles were mostly known as a crop pest. They destroy fields of soybeans and corn. Here you will see a picture of some Japanese beetles doing some defoliation on a soy bean plant.
It is said that this beetle feasts on over 300 different varieties of plant but they seem to take a liking to a popular species of trees locally. Within the last year this beetle has done some major damage to linden trees in our area. History has shown that this beetle will keep on doing more damage.
Once this pest gets in your yard it hunkers down and eats every leaf off your trees. Starting with linden and then moving on to pretty much any other tree. So far it has been spotted in birch, elm, maple, ash, and of course linden. This insect spreads very quickly and reproduces in mass. Its larvae is very small and feasts on the roots of your garden plants. That makes this pest a double edge sword.
Many methods of treatment are available but some seem to be more effective than others. The most popular may be spraying but this may be an impossible task on larger trees. The bugs will eat any leaves you miss. Traps are also a very popular method of treatment. Major drawback is that you will attract every Japanese beetle within a five mile radius. Disposal of these bugs also becomes a problem. One of the best methods is through systemic treatments or commonly known as trunk injections. Chemical moves throughout the tree and into the leaves. The bug goes to eat the leaves and eat every leaf off of the tree. The tree then signals that it does not need to send water and other nutrient to the leaves and later the brnches until the whole tree is dead.
The bugs affect trees in June and are here through August. If you have a Linden tree and you live in Minnesota it is very important that you do something about this insect or you will no longer have a tree!! So far the area that is most heavily infected is in the Bloomington and Edina municipalities although other cities are effected as well.
Above: Popular bag method of catching these little bugs. ***INNEFFECTIVE
"We work for you. Not for our boss"
Japanese Beetle Adult
Here is thier favorite food source. Linden trees are the main tree these pest feed on. Click on the tree to identify a Linden tree and learn more about it.
Here is the life cycle of the japanese beetle. This great diagram shows the forms that the japanese beetle makes over a whole year. Notice that most of the time these bugs are in grub state and only adults for a short period of time. The problem is the grubs are underground and impossible to notice. They eat the roots off of grass as food and kill sections of grass. From June to August we have to worry about them in our trees as they do major damage. The females attract other males to mate and often they come in swarms. After they pilage your trees and plants they lay their eggs in the soil for the process to start all over again. The best time to treat your trees is in the spring. But if these bugs are infesting your trees you will want to treat them immediatly. Arbor Doctor are Japanese beetle specialists and are here to protect your trees. Contact us today to stop these pests from killing your trees.
Request an estimate
Use this form to contact Arbor Doctor for an estimate
Name *
Phone *
Address *
City *
E-mail address
Problem with tree(s)
