News Releases

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is beginning its efforts to obtain consent from residents in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties to treat target properties for the invasive Japanese beetle.

The WSDA Pest Program is hoping to build on this year’s success after having its first year with a decline in beetle catches this summer. While receiving responses from less than half of target properties, the program was still able to reduce the number of trapped beetles from 23,944 in 2022 to 19,655 in 2023.

“We’re starting to see progress from the work we’ve undertaken,” Camilo Acosta, the WSDA Japanese beetle eradication coordinator, said. “But to really knock back the number of beetles, we need a lot more people to sign up to have their properties treated. We need everyone in the impacted communities to pull together with us to eradicate this beetle.”

WSDA Pest Program staff will be attending local events in Yakima County beginning this month.
“We’ll have forms and maps with us. You can see if you are in a treatment area and sign up for the free treatments on the spot,” Acosta said.

Updated consent forms

Acosta also said the treatment consent forms have been revised from previous years.
“Some residents expressed concern about some of the language in our consent form in the past. We heard them, and we’ve updated the forms to address their concerns.”

Acosta encourages those in treatment areas that may have declined treatment in the past to review the new forms and consider signing up for treatment.

Program staff will attend community events in impacted areas both in December and into the new year with consent forms and treatment maps on hand. They will also be mailing residents consent forms and providing an online consent option beginning in January.

Currently, treatments are planned for most of Grandview as well as some areas in Sunnyside, Outlook, Mabton and Prosser. For the first time, WSDA is also planning to treat a square mile in the Pasco area.

  

Treatments will begin in April when the larvae (grubs) start munching on lawn roots. Lawns will be treated with a larvicide called Acelepryn®. It is a "reduced risk" pesticide according to the Washington State Department of Health. It is not considered a health risk for humans, pets, wildlife, or other insects that don't go through a larval state in soil (including pollinators like bees).

Recognizing the impact that the beetle could have on agriculture and the local communities, the Washington State Legislature has provided state funding for the treatments, so there is no fee for residents in proposed treatment areas.

“We’re at a critical juncture,” Tiffany Pahs, WSDA’s acting entomology branch manager, said. “I’ve lived in a state infested with Japanese beetle, and it is a major pest not only for farmers but for anyone enjoying the outdoors. If the community comes together now - getting their properties treated and following the quarantine restrictions - we have a real chance at getting rid of this pest.”

Japanese beetles were first detected in Yakima County in 2021, when WSDA trapped just three beetles in Grandview and Sunnyside. With extensive trapping the following year, WSDA trapped over 24,000 beetles.

Visit agr.wa.gov/beetles to learn more about WSDA’s Japanese beetle project.