Welcome to the Japanese Beetle Information Page
The Japanese Beetle ( Popillia japonica) is a highly invasive pest of over 300 species of broad-leaf plants and turf grasses. As an adult, they feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruit of the host plant. As larvae, they feed on the roots of maintained grasses. JB was first noticed in the United States in 1916 in New Jersey. Since then it has been slowly moving west. Japanese Beetles only fly up to about 5 miles in their lifetime, so they hitch rides on nursery stock and airplanes in order to reach new areas with less competition.
Shipments of field grown nursery stock must arrive outside of the adult JB flight season (June 1 - Sept. 30) See the Montana Exterior Quarantine: Japanese Beetle for more details.
Please use the links below to learn more about this invasive pest.
- Montana Dept. of Agriculture Japanese Beetle Fact Sheet
- MSU Extension MontGuide: Japanese Beetle (.pdf) - Please email orderpubs@montana.edu or call 406-994-3273 for assistance with products or resources.
- Montana Exterior Quarantine: Japanese Beetle (.pdf)
- Biology of Japanese Beetle (Fleming 1972)
- What Should we do About the Japanese Beetle PowerPoint by Dr. Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University: March 9, 2019
- United States Department of Agriculture Japanese Beetle
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