Japanese beetle 162567 225832324 2008-07-15T16:36:58Z Antandrus 57658 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/64.135.204.95|64.135.204.95]] ([[User talk:64.135.204.95|talk]]) to last version by 89.214.82.75 {{Taxobox | name = Japanese beetle | status = secure | image = Jbeetle.jpg | image_width = 250px | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Arthropod]]a | classis = [[Insect]]a | ordo = [[beetle|Coleoptera]] | subordo = [[Polyphaga]] | infraordo = [[Scarabaeiformia]] | superfamilia = [[Scarabaeoidea]] | familia = [[Scarabaeidae]] | subfamilia = [[Rutelinae]] | tribus = [[Anomalini]] | genus = ''[[Popillia]]'' | species = '''''P. japonica''''' | binomial = ''Popillia japonica'' | binomial_authority = [[Edward Newman|Newman]], [[1841]] }} {{wikispecies|Popillia japonica|Japanese beetle}} The '''Japanese beetle''' (''Popillia japonica'' commonly referred to as the jitterbug) is a [[beetle]] about 1.5 cm (0.6 [[inch]]es) long and 1 cm (0.4 inches) wide (smaller in [[Canada]]), with shiny copper-colored [[elytra]] and a shiny green top of the thorax and head. It is not very destructive in [[Japan]], where it is controlled by natural enemies, but in [[Americas|America]] it is a serious pest to [[rose]] bushes, [[grape]]s, [[canna (plant)|canna]], [[crape myrtle]]s, and other plants. It is a weak flyer and drops several centimeters when it hits a wall. Japanese beetle traps therefore consist of a pair of crossed walls with a bag underneath, and are baited with floral scent, [[pheromone]], or both. However, studies done at the University of Kentucky suggest that traps attract more beetles than they actually trap, thus causing more damage than may have occurred were the trap not used.<ref>[http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef409.asp MANAGING ADULT JAPANESE BEETLES]</ref> Japanese beetles have a curious, identifying defense: they lift their hind legs up in the air, even when simply approached. These hind legs are spiny, and the behavior is probably intended to ward off predators. These insects damage plants by eating the surface material, leaving the veins in place, producing a curious, but alarming to the experienced gardener, "transparent leaf" effect on its victims. ==History== [[Image:Jbmap.gif|128px|thumb|Map showing the parts of the United States currently infested by Japanese beetles.]] As the name suggests, the Japanese beetle is native to [[Japan]]. The insect was first found in the [[United States]] in [[1916]] in a [[Nursery (horticulture)|nursery]] near [[Riverton, New Jersey]]. It is thought that beetle larvae entered the United States in a shipment of [[Iris (plant)|iris]] bulbs prior to [[1912]] when inspections of commodities entering the country began. ==Life cycle== <gallery> Image:Jbeggs.jpg|A typical cluster of Japanese beetle [[Egg (biology)|eggs]]. Image:Jblarva.jpg|Japanese beetle larva.([[Grub Worm]]) Image:Jbpupa.jpg|Japanese beetle pupa. Image:Jbadult.jpg|The Japanese beetle adult. </gallery> <br style="clear: left"/> The life cycle of the beetle is typically one year in most parts of the United States, but this can be extended in cooler climates; for instance, in its native Japan, the beetle's life cycle is two years long as a result of the higher latitudes of the grasslands required for the [[Larva|larval stage]]. During the larval stage the white grubs can be identified by their V shaped raster pattern. ==Control== During the larval stage, the Japanese beetle lives in [[lawn]]s and other [[grassland]]s, where it eats the roots of [[Poaceae|grass]]. During that stage, it is susceptible to a fatal disease called milky spore disease, caused by a bacterium called milky spore, ''Paenibacillus'' (formerly ''Bacillus'') ''popilliae.'' The [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] developed this biological control and it is commercially available in powder form for application to lawn areas. Standard applications (low density across a broad area) take from one to five years to establish maximal protection against larval survival (depending on climate), expanding through the soil through repeated rounds of infection, in-host multiplication, release from killed host, and infection. Typically proper application can lead to a 15-20 year period of protection.<ref name=milkyspore>Klein, Michael (August 1998). [http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/fea508.html Japanese beetle: the continuing struggle to achieve successful biological control]. ''Midwest Biological Control News'', '''V'''(8). Retrieved July 11, 2005.</ref> Soil-bound larvae are also susceptible to certain members of the [[nematode]] families ''[[Steinernematidae]]'' and ''[[Heterorhabditidae]]''. As with milky spore, commercial preparations of these nematode varieties are available. The primary natural predator found in Japan is the [[winsome fly]] (''[[Istocheta]] (or Hyperecteina) aldrichi''), a [[parasitoid|parasitic fly]]. Attempts at establishing this predator in the United States have met with limited success, primarily in [[New England]]. Alternative predators have shown some potential at serving as [[biological control]]s, such as the [[Tiphiidae|Tiphiid wasps]] ''[[Tiphia vernalis]]'' and ''[[Tiphia popilliavora]]'' from [[China]] and [[Korea]]. Also, certain birds (such as the [[meadowlark]] and [[cardinal (bird)|cardinal]]) and small mammals are significant predators on the adult form. On field crops such as [[squash]], [[floating row cover]]s can be used to exclude the beetles, however this may necessitate [[hand pollination]] of flowers. [[Kaolin spray]]s can also be used as barriers. Research performed by many US extension service branches has shown that pheromone traps may attract more beetles than they catch, and so they have fallen out of favor.<ref name="trap">Japanese Beetle control strategies [http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/japanese-beetle/jbeetle.html]</ref> Natural repellents include [[catnip]], [[chives]], [[garlic]], and [[tansy]]<ref name="repellents">[http://www.selfsufficientish.com/pests.htm pests - selfsufficientish - pests<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>, as well as the remains of dead beetles. ==Host Plants== Japanese Beetles feed on a large range of hosts, including leaves of plants of the following common crops: [[Strawberry|Strawberries]], [[tomato]]es, [[capsicum|pepper]]s, [[grape]]s, [[rose]]s, [[plum]]s, [[pears]], [[peach]]es, [[Raspberry|raspberries]], [[blackberry|blackberries]], [[corn]], [[peas]], [[Blueberry|blueberries]] and these genera: {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} *[[Abelmoschus]] *[[Acer (genus)|Acer]] *[[Aesculus]] *[[Alcea]] *[[Asparagus]] *[[Aster]] *[[Basil]] *[[Betula]] (Birch trees) *[[Buddleia]] *[[Calluna]] *[[caladium]] *[[Canna (plant)|Canna]] *[[Chaenomoles]] *[[Cirsium]] *[[Cosmos (flower)|Cosmos]] *[[Dahlia]] *[[Daucus]] *[[Dendranthema]] *[[Digitalis]] *[[Dolichos]] *[[Echinacea]] *[[Hemerocallis]] *[[Heuchera]] *[[Hibiscus]] *[[Himrod Seedless Green Grapes]] *[[Hydrangea]] *[[Ilex]] *[[Impatiens]] *[[Iris (plant)|Iris]] *[[Lagerstroemia]] *[[Liatris]] *[[Ligustrum]] *[[Malus]] {{col-break}} *[[Malva]] *[[Myrica]] *[[Navaho Thornless Blackberry]] *[[Oenothera]] *[[Parthenocissus]] *[[Phaeseolus]] *[[Phlox]] *[[Physocarpus]] *[[Pistachios]] *[[Platanus]] *[[Polygonum]] *[[Popler]] *[[Prunus]] *[[Quercus]] *[[Rheum (genus)|Rheum]] *[[Rhododendron]] *[[Rosa]] *[[Rubus]] *[[Salix]] *[[Sambucus]] *[[Sassafras]] *[[Solanum]] *[[Syringa]] *[[Tilia]] (Linden, lime, or basswood trees) *[[Toxicodendron]] *[[Ulmus]] *[[Vaccinium]] *[[Viburnum]] *[[Vitis]] *[[Weigelia]] *[[Wisteria]] *[[Zea]] *[[Zinnia]] {{col-end}} ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/japanese-beetle/jbeetle.html APHIS web page on beetle management] *[http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN630 Japanese beetle] at [[University of Florida]] [[Category:Scarabaeidae]] [[Category:Agricultural pest insects]] [[Category:Horticulture]] [[Category:Invasive animal species]] [[Category:Beetles of Asia]] [[it:Popillia japonica]] [[ja:マメコガネ]] [[nl:Japanse kever]] [[pt:Besouro-japonês]]