| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Patricia Denke |
| June 20, 2006 | (406) 444-3730 |
(EDITORS: A file photo of a Japanese beetle captured in Billings can be downloaded here.)
Japanese Beetle Testing, Treatment Urged in Billings
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Agriculture is encouraging landowners in an area south of the Billings Airport to use special insect traps to check for the presence of Japanese beetles, an insect that damages lawns and landscape plants and could increase operating expenses for commercial nurseries.
Japanese beetles are believed to have arrived in the Billings area on cargo planes from the Midwest, where the pest is widespread. Small numbers of the shiny copper- and green-colored insects were found in specially designed traps near the airport in 2003 and 2004. Last year, more than 40 of the insects were collected in an area centered around the intersection of North Rim and Yucca Street, near the Montana State University-Billings campus.
The Japanese beetle is a pest of many plants. In the larval stage, the insect is a white grub and feeds on grass roots, as well as the roots of some crops such as corn and soybeans. Adults feed on a variety of plants, including roses, birch trees, shrubs and many garden plants.
Montana has enjoyed a special import and export status with regard to nursery stock. This Category 1 status enables businesses to send nursery stock, such as balled and burlapped trees and sod, to other states and countries without the time and expense of certifying that the products are free from Japanese beetles, explained Kimberly Merenz, pest management program manager at the Montana Department of Agriculture.
To maintain its Category 1 status, Montana must take steps to contain or eradicate the Japanese beetle population, Merenz says. Monitoring is required to determine the size and extent of the population. A formal eradication program may be required, including the treatment of all susceptible habitats within a mile from the presumed population.
If eradication does not occur, the state may need to quarantine Yellowstone County to protect the beetle-free status for the rest of Montana. Under a county quarantine, nursery stock and sod leaving the county must be inspected and certified by the department as free from Japanese beetle. Commercial nurseries and sod farms would need to trap for the insect and work with the department to ensure compliance.
This spring, MSU-Billings added a Japanese beetle treatment to its landscape management program, as have a few other landowners in the affected area. Spring and fall are the best times to treat lawns and the soil beneath landscape plants, says Patricia Denke, state entomologist at the Montana Department of Agriculture.
For a limited time, the department will provide homeowners in Billings with Japanese beetle traps. These traps were previously used in the federal-state monitoring program. People living in the area surrounding the presumed location of the population will have priority for receiving a trap. The department is asking that persons accepting the traps check them regularly, keep a record of when they check the trap, and submit any suspect specimens to the department for identification.
Homeowners interested in receiving a trap or obtaining more information about the insect and treatment options should contact Patricia Denke at the Montana Department of Agriculture office in Helena at (406) 444-3730 or by email at agr@mt.gov.
