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Japanese Beetle
(John Obermeyer, Purdue University)

Common Name: Japanese Beetle

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Scarabaeidae

Pest Status: Japanese beetles are serious pests of turfgrass when they are grubs and also serious pests of many plants (trees, shrubs, flowers, fruits, and agronomic crops) when they become adults.

Appearance: The Japanese beetle is about 1/2-inch long with shiny copper-colored wing covers and a shiny green top of the thorax and head. The abdomen has a row of white hair tufts of hair on each side.

Life Cycle: The larvae overwinter in cells beneath the soil surface. In the spring, the larvae move upward to complete feeding and to pupate. Adults emerge from the ground in mid-summer and the females deposit their eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch about two weeks after deposition, normally between July and August.

Where to Collect: The adults are general herbivores and can be found on all types of plants.