JAPANESE BEETLE 
( Popillia japonica Newman) 
Japanese beetles spend about 10 months of the year as grubs in 
the soil, feeding on the roots of grasses and other plants. Early 
in June the grubs stop feeding and go through a resting, or pupal, 
stage, before they become beetles. By the first part of July the 
beetles are flying about in numbers and feeding extensively on the 
foliage, fruit, and blossoms of many trees and other plants. In 
July and August the females go into the ground and lay eggs, which 
hatch into small grubs. Grubs are usually most abundant in turf. 
Control of Beetles 
Plants can be protected from beetle attack with the following 
sprays : 
1. DDT (50-percent wettable powder), 3 ounces (20 tablespoonfuls); 
water, 10 gallons (for fruit and shade trees, shrubs, and flowering 
plants). 
2. Lead arsenate, 10 ounces (30 tablespoonfuls) ; wheat flour, 6 ounces 
(24 tablespoonfuls), or light-pressed fish oil, 2% fluid ounces (5 
tablespoonfuls) ; water, 10 gallons (for shade trees and shrubs). 
3. Powdered derris 4-percent rotenone), 5 ounces (30 tablespoonfuls); 
water, 10 gallons (for apple, plum, cherry, and peach trees, grapes, 
and small fruits when fruit is about to ripen, and flowering plants). 
Where spraying equipment is not available, apply a 5-percent 
DDT dust or hydrated dusting lime. 
Apply the spray or dust when the beetles first appear. Repeat 
as needed to maintain a protective coating on all parts of the plant 
subject to attack, until the beetles disappear. Dusts must be 
applied more often than sprays. 
Control of Grubs 
Use of Poisons . — Lawns may be protected from injury by Japa- 
nese beetle grubs for at least 6 years with one application of DDT 
and for at least 3 years with one application of chlordane. Use 6 
pounds of a 10-percent DDT powder or 2% pounds of a 10-percent 
chlordane powder to each 1,000 square feet of lawn. Mix the 
material with several times its volume of slightly moist sand, soil, 
or other suitable material, and apply evenly to the lawn with a 
garden-type fertilizer distributor or by hand. Wash the material 
in with a hose. 
Use of Milky Disease . — Japanese beetle grubs are subject to a 
number of diseases, the most important of which is the milky 
disease. Several dust mixtures containing spores of the organism 
causing this disease are available commercially. They are prefer- 
ably applied by community groups, but may be used by individuals. 
Directions are on the package. The disease usually works slowly, 
and its full effect may not be evident for several years. Although 
it kills grubs in the soil, it does not prevent beetles from flying in 
from untreated areas. It is harmless to all other forms of plant 
and animal life. 
PRECAUTIONS. — DDT, chlordane, and lead arsenate are poisons, but when 
used as recommended are not likely to injure human beings, pets, wildlife, or 
vegetation. Avoid inhaling the dust. Protect the hands with leather or rubber 
gloves. Keep the hands away from the mouth and wash them thoroughly 
before eating. Do not spray fruits with DDT later than 4 weeks before 
picking. Wash or peel sprayed or dusted fruits or vegetables before eating 
them. Keep the poison in plainly labeled closed containers away from food 
products, and where children or pets cannot reach them. Keep small children 
and domestic animals away from poisoned turf until it has been watered or rain 
has fallen. 
October 1950 
MUS. COMP. ZOOL. 
U. S. Government Printing Office 
For sale by the Superinte 
ident t^^y^ents 
16- 
JAN 23 1951 
BArSM 
Y | 
, Washington 25, D. C. Price, 5^ 
54363-2 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
