CONTROL OF THE JAPANESE BEETLE OX FRUIT AND SHADE TREES 



The female returns to the soil during certain periods to deposit eggs. 

 The eggs hatch in about 12 days. The larvae remain near the sur- 

 face of the soil to feed until the approach of cold weather, when they 

 burrow deeper into the ground. There is only one generation a 

 year. (Fig. 3.) 



CHARACTER OF INJURY 



The injury caused by the adult beetle is the result of its feeding 

 on foliage and fruits. The leaves of trees are in part or wholly 

 skeletonized ; that is, the softer tissues of the leaf between the coarser 

 veins are eaten. As the in- 

 sect prefers to feed in sunny 

 places, it first destroys the 

 leaves at the top of the tree 

 or plant. The remnants of 

 the leaves soon turn brown 

 and fall off, and a partial 

 second crop of leaves is pro- 

 duced. Beetle infestations 

 have been so severe at times 

 that large shade and fruit 

 trees have become com- 

 pletely defoliated within 

 four days after being first 

 attacked. 



Early ripening fruits are 

 especially attractive to the 

 beetle. At times the beetles 

 collect on early apples and 

 peaches in such large num- 

 bers as completely to cover 

 the fruit. The author once 

 collected 13 tubs of beetles 

 from 156 early peach trees 

 in the vicinity of Moores- 

 town, N. J., and within two 



Figure 



The Japanese beetle. 



days the trees were again 



heavily infested. Very little feeding by the beetle is sufficient to 



destroy an entire crop of early apples or peaches. Once the skin 



of the fruit has been broken by the insect's jaws, it has little market 



value. 



FACTORS INFLUENCING CONTROL 



The Japanese beetle is a difficult insect to control. There are sev- 

 eral reasons for this: (1) The large number of insects found in the 

 neighborhood of the crops to be protected; (2) the failure of the 

 beetle to feed on poisoned plants; (3) the great attraction that the 

 beetles have for each other; and (4) the large number of different 

 kinds of plants upon which the beetles will feed. 



One of the chief factors which make it possible to secure protection, 

 in spite of the countless numbers of beetles, is the repelling effect 



