In a new practice-oriented publication, Agroscope summarises all available information on the biology of the Japanese beetle as well as the legal bases. In addition, experts assess the threat to various crops and take a deeper dive into control measures.
The unintentional introduction of Japanese beetle and its progressive spread represent one of the greatest challenges facing the Swiss Federal Plant Protection Service and the Cantonal Plant Protection Services in recent years. However, Japanese beetle poses a threat not just to agriculture, but also to public and private recreational spaces and parks. Unlike numerous other harmful insects recently introduced into Switzerland, Japanese beetle has been present in North America for over a century. Accordingly, there is a wealth of knowledge available on its biology, ecology and control.
Japanese beetle: a particular challenge
Two special points should be emphasised here. Firstly, in addition to agriculture and market gardening, many public and private recreational spaces, parks and gardens are also affected. Secondly, there is a clear-cut spatial separation between the presence of eggs, larvae and pupae as well as the adult beetles. This means that plant protection measures taken in the habitat of the adult beetles have little chance of succeeding if not combined with the prevention of constant replenishment from the zones where the larva is present, which are often difficult to locate.
Agroscope’s new practice-oriented publication summarises all currently available information on Japanese beetle and is available as a free download.
