My Garden

..... and the Japanese Beetle!

I spend hours in my garden during the summer and one of the most upsetting thing to me is the return, each year, of the Japanese Beetle.  They single-handedly destroy my birch tree turning each leaf into something that resembles lace and not in a good way.  Once the beetles feast on the leaves they turn brown and die and my poor tree ends up looking horribly sick.

After spending a considerable amount of money and time over the past two years, it was time to call in the professionals. 

Yesterday a very welcome site late in the afternoon, a gentleman arrived from the tree company dressed in a special suit with a breathing apparatus and went to work. 
My tree was sprayed from top to bottom and then within minutes the beetles were gone.  I've only lost a few leaves and in time hopefully they will be replaced by healthy new buds.  My tree professional told me to keep an eye on the tree and should the beetles return it may require another spraying, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Here is some interesting information

Japanese Beetle








Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) was found in North America for the first time in 1916 when it was discovered in the state of New Jersey. It was found in Canada for the first time in 1939 in the Niagara Peninsula of southern Ontario. Currently, the Japanese beetle is distributed throughout much of the eastern U.S. In Canada, it is limited to areas in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. British Columbia and the western States of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington are presently free from Japanese beetle, and have been identified as having a climate particularly suitable for the establishment of Japanese beetle.



Identification:

The adult Japanese beetle is about 1 cm long with a shiny, metallic-green body and bronze-colored outer wings. The beetle has small tufts of white hair along the sides and back of its body. Grubs (larvae) are c-shaped, white in colour and about 2.5 cm long when fully grown.








Japanese beetle
Photo Credit: E.Bradford Walker, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Image 4836022. ForestryImages.org. http://www.forestryimages.org/. February 19, 2002.

Japanese beetle larva
Photo courtesy Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada




Damage:

Japanese beetles are destructive plant pests both as adults and grubs (larval stage). Adults feed on the foliage and fruit of several hundred plant species, including ornamentals, fruit trees, shrubs, vegetables and field crops. Adults leave behind skeletonized leaves and large, irregular holes in leaves. The grubs develop in the soil, feeding on the roots of various plants and grasses and often destroying turf in lawns, parks and golf courses. The Japanese beetle is considered to be the most widespread turf-grass pest in the United States.





Japanese beetle adults feeding on leaves
Photo Credit: Ronald S. Kelley, Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Image 0907032. ForestryImages.org. http://www.forestryimages.org/. February 19, 2002.