- Bavaria is preparing for the Japanese beetle
Concerns are growing that the Japanese beetle could soon be found in Bavaria. The Bavarian State Institute of Agriculture (LfL) is therefore calling on the public for help: Containing the spread of this pest can only succeed if people help, the LfL announced in Freising.
Beetle devours plants bare
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) attacks plants and devours them bare. Its larvae are fond of grass roots. This Asian native is classified as a particularly dangerous pest by the EU: Arable crops, forest trees, orchards, vineyards - many areas of agriculture and forestry, but also ornamental plants and private gardens are threatened by it. The beetle has no natural enemies here.
The LfL has currently set up 50 traps with the Bavarian agricultural offices, which are regularly checked. If citizens discover a Japanese beetle, they are asked to report it immediately, the LfL requests.
Features of the Japanese beetle
And this is how the beetle can be recognized: It has a metallic-green pronotum and brown wing covers. It is about one centimeter long and has clearly visible white hair tufts on the sides of the body and abdomen.
Living Japanese beetles were recently found for the first time this year in Baden-Württemberg. A larger colony of Japanese beetles was discovered near the border in Switzerland a few weeks ago. Therefore, the danger that the pest will migrate to or be transported to Bavaria increases, the LfL further announced.
The Japanese beetle, recently discovered in Baden-Württemberg, poses a threat of migration or transportation to Bavaria, as a larger colony was found near the border in Switzerland. To aid in containing its spread, residents of Bavaria are encouraged to report any sightings of the beetle to the Bavarian State Institute of Agriculture (LfL), just as their counterparts in Baden-Württemberg have been doing.
