Japanese beetles in southwest Missouri fields

Associated Press | Posted: Monday, July 5, 2010 6:24 pm

PINEVILLE, Mo. -- A pesky beetle has been moving into southwest Missouri, damaging crops, shrubs and fruit trees.
The Japanese beetle, which was introduced into the United States from Japan around 1916, likely came to the Midwest in a shipment of flowers or shrubs. They've been common in Kansas City and St. Louis since the mid-1990s.
Now, they appear to be moving into southwest Missouri from Arkansas.
Jay Chism, an agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said the beetles are appearing for the first time in Barton County in "significant numbers."
"Last year, I didn't catch a handful of them for the whole season," Chism told The Joplin Globe. "Last week, I caught 600 beetles in two days. Then four days later, I caught 1,100 more."
While Chism said he hasn't yet seen much crop damage in Barton County, he's keeping his eyes open and running his traps daily.
In addition to grain crops, the beetles favor corn tassels and soybeans.
John Hobbs, an agriculture and rural development specialist with University of Missouri Extension, said there have been Japanese beetles in McDonald County for about five or six years. They're also present in Newton and Jasper counties.
While McDonald County is mainly grassland and cow-calf operations, the insects are driving southwest Missouri residents buggy as they invade gardens and fields, Hobbs said.
"In McDonald County, it's garden crops, sweet corn, okra, and plants like elm trees and fruit trees they are after," he said. "They eat on flowering shrubs, such as rose of Sharon."
Even lawns and golf courses are susceptible to invasion during "beetle season," which is mid-June to late July, Chism said.
The pest is easy to identify, but is confused with another insect common to the area, the June beetle. The Japanese beetle is about half an inch long and about half the size of the June beetle.
The Japanese beetle is metallic green, with bronze- or copper-colored wings. They also have five white tufts of bristles that run alongside the shell.
Chism advised people to be alert and report any infestations to the county extension office.
"If you can control the early ones, it is less likely that large mobs will come in and take over an area," he said.
Sprays such as Sevin and other bug killers are effective, but Chism said people should consider more environmentally friendly means of extermination that won't kill bees and other pollinators.
"Use traps or just go out early in the morning when the bugs are sluggish, and pick them off the plants and put them in a bucket of hot, soapy water," he suggested.