Japanese beetle found in Richland, growing concern for ag products
By Dan Thesman on Monday, August 1st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
RICHLAND – The Japanese beetle infestation is growing exponentially in Washington as state officials work to keep the invasive species at bay. On Thursday, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) confirmed a Japanese beetle catch found in Richland, more than 35 miles east of the current proposed quarantine zone in Grandview.
Officials also confirmed last week a detection in Wapato, 30 miles west of Grandview, meaning detections have expanded over 65 miles of the I-82 corridor, a major pathway for much of the state’s agricultural production.
“Finding two detections so far from the original grid in two separate directions suggests the Japanese beetle population is spreading very quickly,” Camilo Acosta, Japanese beetle eradication project coordinator, said. “The longer the invasive pest continues to thrive here, the more difficult and expensive it will be to control.”
A WSDA pest program trapper was doing a routine check on Thursday afternoon in Richland, not expecting to find Japanese beetle so far from the current infestation. The trap produced a single beetle, and teams began immediately setting up additional traps and checking nearby nurseries for detections.
State officials are urging growers and community members in Yakima, Benton, and Franklin counties to monitor for these beetles. With these detections so widespread along the I-82 corridor, WSDA is asking residents to look for and report Japanese beetles on their property.
If anyone sees a Japanese beetle, please snap a photo and report it at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/85203491d0dd43f299d9e3f01177adcf
Japanese beetle adults are metallic green and brown and have little tufts of white hair on their sides. They emerge – usually from lawns or in other soil – in the spring and feed throughout the summer. From fall to spring the grubs (larvae) overwinter in the soil and slowly develop into mature adults ready to emerge again in the spring.
The next steps in the eradication effort include setting traps in and around the infestation area and any new detection sites and establishing a quarantine zone to prohibit the movement of items that could transport Japanese beetles into new areas.
A public hearing about the adoption of this proposed quarantine will be held Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. Residents can join at the Learning Center, 313 Division St., Grandview, or online. WSDA is also holding mid-season virtual open houses for residents on Aug. 4 at 6 p.m. and a virtual meeting for area growers on Aug. 9 at noon. Links to both meetings can be found on the WSDA Japanese beetle website at https://agr.wa.gov/beetles.
In 2020, WSDA first discovered just three Japanese beetles in the Grandview area. Last year the department trapped more than 24,000 beetles. So far this year, teams have caught around 8,300 beetles. Japanese beetles are highly invasive pests of more than 300 plants, including roses, grapes, and hops. The adult beetles damage plants by skeletonizing the foliage. Adults also feed on buds, flowers, and fruit on the plants and are frequently intercepted with air cargo from the Eastern U.S.
Photo via Washington State Department of Agriculture
