April 1950 E-799 
United States Department of Agriculture 
Agricultural Research Administration 
Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine 
THE SPRING TIPHIA, AN IMPORTED ENEMY 
OF THE JAPANESE BEETLE 
By J. L. King and L. B. Parker, 
Division of Fruit Insect Investigations 
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newm. ), an accidently 
introduced insect, entered this county free from its insect enemies 
and other factors that control it in its native land. This fact was 
quickly recognized and led to the early study of its natural enemies in 
Japan. Work in Japan, begun in 1920, soon led to the discovery of five 
insect species that prey on Japanese beetle grubs. These parasites 
have all been established in the United States, but as might be expected, 
with varying degrees of success. The most efficient of these introduced 
species is the spring Tiphia ( Tiphia vernalis Roh. ). 
What Is the Spring Tiphia Like? 
At first glance the spring Tiphia may be thought to be a large, black, 
winged ant (fig. 1), but it is actually a small wasp. These wasps do not 
Figure 1. --Spring Tiphia, enlarged. 
