Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Japanese Beetle

This notice came by email today from Gary Lewis, nursery owner in the lower mainland
Hello Fellow Gardeners,
I'm alarmed to be sending this email to you but I think it is important that we spread the word so gardeners can be on the look out for the presence of Japanese beetle in their gardens.

Japanese beetle is an invasive species that can do considerable harm to a wide range of garden plants. My horticultural colleagues in eastern North America speak of gardens ravaged by this hungry pest. Japanese beetle is about the size of the nail on your index finger and can be shiny green or shiny black. It has invaded eastern North America but is not yet on the West Coast. Until now.

Japanese beetle has recently been detected by Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the False Creek area of Vancouver. It is not known how Japanese beetle arrived in Vancouver. It could have come in on infected nursery stock or soil or adults could have hitched a ride on trains or cars traveling from the east.
Please also share this email with your gardening friends in the city. If infested debris or soil is transported out of False Creek, Japanese beetle could pop up in other neighbourhoods.
I think it also wise for gardeners elsewhere in the Lower Mainland and BC to be aware of Japanese beetle so please have a look and also forward to your gardening friends and neighbours so you can be on the look out.
We do not want this pest in BC! On the off chance that you were to ever discover a beetle that looks like Japanese beetle in your garden or in a park, please contact CFIA immediately!
Cheers, Gary and the Phoenicians

Japanese beetle

Larvae
Japanese beetle is a plant pest native to Japan. The beetles are roughly 3/8-inch long and 1/4-inch wide. They have shiny, metallic-green bodies and copper-colored wing covers.Turf is the common host of the larval stage of this pest but the roots of other plants are also attacked. Adults are heavy feeders, attacking both foliage and fruit of more than 250 host plants. The following is a partial list of plants severely injured by the Japanese beetle: elm, maple, grape vine, peach, apple, apricot, cherry, plum, rose, zinnia, corn, asparagus, soybean, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.

For now the False Creek finding is an isolated incident but it shows how easy it is for pests to spread in our mobile society. It is always wise to know your enemy and be prepared.


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