New Invasive Insect detected in Ada and Kootenai Counties

Boise, ID - A new invasive insect, the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), recently was detected in Idaho in both Ada and Kootenai counties. The Japanese beetle was first introduced to the United States in 1916 in plants imported from Japan. The insect is approximately ½-inch long, a shiny metallic green with copper-brown wing covers.

Adult Japanese beetles feed on trees, rose bushes, stonefruits and many garden and field crops leaving holes and skeltonized leaves. The larvae, or grubs, live under the soil surface and destroy patches of turf by feeding on roots of grass.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is identifying suspect areas with intensive trapping. The public may notice an increased number of green and yellow traps placed in Boise around the Boise State University and Warm Springs area, along State Street near Pierce Park and at various public parks. Increased trapping will also be implemented in other parts of the state. The traps are non-toxic.

If you live in Idaho

If you live in Idado and suspect you have found a Japanese beetle seal a dead specimen or two in a sandwich bag and mail in a regular envelope to: Idaho State Department of Agriculture, Plant Industries Division, P.O. Box 790 Boise, ID 83701 and please include your name, address and phone number or you may call (208) 332-8620 to report the possible find.