Invasive Japanese Beetles Have Reached Montana

When I was a kid, catching bugs was just part of summer. You'd flip over a rock, find a bug, and move on with your day. If it were a really cool-looking insect, perhaps it would end up in a Mason jar. If it was an ugly bug, it may have met its demise under the scorching pinpoint sunlight of a magnifying glass.

Unfortunately, one particular beetle isn't just another backyard bug, and it should most definitely be exterminated. The highly invasive Japanese beetle has been steadily marching west across the United States for decades, and it's officially made itself at home in Montana.

The Montana Department of Agriculture says Japanese beetles are already established in Billings and elsewhere in Yellowstone County, with occasional "hitchhikers" showing up around the rest of the state. That's not great news if you're proud of your lawn, flower beds, fruit trees, or just about anything green.

Adult Japanese beetles are pretty easy to spot.

They're about a half-inch long with a shiny metallic green body, bronze-colored wings, and tiny white tufts of hair along the sides and rear of their abdomen. They're actually kind of pretty (for a bug)... until they start eating everything in sight.

Japanese beetles feast in groups. They chew the tissue between the veins of leaves, leaving behind a skeleton-like appearance. They also attack flowers and fruit, causing plants to wilt, yellow, lose their leaves, and sometimes die altogether.

Japanese beetles can destroy your beautiful lawn. Photo by Petar Tonchev on Unsplash

Japanese Beetle larvae are just as destructive.

They spend much of their lives underground munching on the roots of healthy turfgrass, which can leave lawns looking yellow, patchy, and unhealthy before homeowners even realize there's a problem.

According to the state, Japanese beetles feed on more than 300 different plant species, making them a serious threat to both home landscapes and agriculture. State officials say they most commonly arrive on nursery stock shipped from other states or occasionally hitch rides aboard aircraft coming from the eastern US.

If you think you've spotted one, don't just flick it into the grass.

The Montana Department of Agriculture encourages residents to collect a specimen (rubbing alcohol works well for preserving it) and report it for identification. Catching new infestations early is one of the best ways to slow their spread.

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Hopefully, this is one invasive species that Montana can keep in check. I'd much rather spend my weekends mowing the lawn than wondering if every shiny green bug I see is about to turn my flower beds and garden into an all-you-can-eat buffet.