What are Japanese beetles?
Japanese beetles (right) are important turf and landscape pests in the eastern US. The adults are roughly 3/8″ long with coppery wing covers, metallic green back and a row of white tufts along the sides. Adults feed on a wide variety of plants where they “skeletonize” leaves (remove leaf tissue between the veins). Japanese beetles belong to a large family of ornate beetles called scarabs (Scarabidae). These beautiful beetles have even been used in religious ceremonies by a number of ancient cultures. Japanese beetle larvae, or white grubs, are typical of other scarab larvae. Larvae live in the soil where they feed on plant roots and can do serious damage. Larvae are white with a brownish head capsule and three pairs of legs. The “tail” end is usually packed with ingested soil particles and larvae are generally bent into a characteristic “C” shape as well.
