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Tri-Cities residents asked to report Japanese beetle sightings
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is asking Pasco and surrounding area residents to report suspected Japanese beetle sightings.
WSDA found five beetles last year in Pasco, but 38 beetles have already been caught in the area this summer.
“We’re catching more beetles this year and they are being found throughout Pasco, not in a limited area,” Camilo Acosta, WSDA Japanese beetle eradication coordinator, said. “We want to protect gardens, parks and farms in the area by eradicating Japanese beetle from the Tri-Cities. We need the community’s help to succeed.”
Reporting suspected sightings
Japanese beetles are metallic green and copper. Their favorite host plant is roses, but they eat grapes, hops, sweet corn, raspberries, and 300 other plants. They lay eggs primarily in lawns and the developing larvae (grubs) eat the roots and can kill lawns.
If you suspect you have seen Japanese beetles, take a photograph and report the sighting at agr.wa.gov/beetles or email the photograph along with the location of the sighting to pest@agr.wa.gov.
Prevent the spread of Japanese beetles
In addition to reporting Japanese beetles, there are other steps residents can take to prevent spreading this highly invasive pest:
- Don’t move yard waste. Compost yard waste at home.
- If you find Japanese beetles on your property, consider one of the treatment options recommended by Washington State University Extension.
- Collect Japanese beetles on garden plants and put them in soapy water to kill them.
- Spread the word. Make sure your neighbors know about and are also on the lookout for and know what to do if they spot Japanese beetles.
Japanese beetles pose a serious threat to both local communities and agriculture. The beetles reduce the quality of life where it is established by ruining plants and gardens, killing lawns in yards and parks, and being a general nuisance to the outdoors. The beetle can also result in costly quarantines and increased management costs for farmers, making it difficult for them to process and move crops out of the area.
WSDA Pest Program trappers have set hundreds of traps throughout the Tri-Cities to help detect the beetles. The traps will be up throughout the adult beetle flight season, which lasts at least through September.
Visit agr.wa.gov/beetles to learn more about these invasive pests and WSDA’s efforts to eradicate it.