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Japanese Beetle larva
(John Obermeyer, Purdue University)
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Common Name: Japanese Beetle - larva
See also: adult | damage

Scientific Name: Scarabaeidae: Popillia japonica

Status: pest of many plants, grasses, and ornamentals

Damaging Stage: grub and adult

Biology: 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 on each side.

Adults emerge from the ground in midsummer, and the females deposit their eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch about two weeks after deposition, normally between July and August.

Japanese beetle larvae are C-shaped white grubs that live in the soil. They have a brown head capsule and three pairs of prolegs. The larvae overwinter in cells beneath the soil surface. In the spring, the larvae move upward to complete feeding and to pupate. There is one generation per year.