Japanese Beetle

The Japanese beetle is originally from Japan. It is classified as Popillia japonica. The Japanese beetle belongs to the Scarabaeidae family. The insect was first found in the United States in 1916 in a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey. It is thought the beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of iris bulbs prior to 1912, when inspections of commodities entering the country first began. The beetle has a broad, thick body about 1.3 cm, which is about 0.5 inches long and is iridescent green, with tan wing covers. During the larval stage for the beetle, it lives in lawns, forests and other grasslands, where it eats the roots of grasses. Roses, fruit trees, beans, tomatoes, and corn are usually their favorite foods for the adult Japanese beetles. The adults most likely feed during the day, especially in warm weather and on plants in full sun. Studies have shown that traps to get rid of them won’t work. So the way to get rid of them is by using 2 traps. One way to trap it is a Japanese beetle sex pheromone that attracts male beetles; the other trap consists of a blend of three chemicals, which gives off a floral scent and attracts males and females. This insect is considered invasive because they are hard to kill and they’re species is from another part of the world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/japanesebeetle.html