Video: Control Japanese Beetles in Your Garden
It’s time for my next video and I realize it’s not exactly a happy topic! But if you need to control Japanese beetles, you’ll find it packed with useful information.
Those beetles are so destructive. They were first discovered in the United States in 1916 and they’ve been spreading and wreaking havoc ever since. As you probably know, we live in Spokane, Washington. These beetles haven’t been a problem for us… yet. Not that I want to sound defeatist but I know it’s just a matter of time.
I love researching all manner of garden topics, especially if I know the information will be helpful to other gardeners. It’s my goal in life to help folks be successful!
Here are the topics I covered in this new video:
- What the adult beetles and the grub stage look like (sorry I didn’t have a photo of grubs)
- Their range throughout North America
- Their life cycle
- What their damage looks like
- Which vegetable crops and ornamentals are Japanese beetles’ favorite plants
- Insects and animals that prey upon them
- Solid garden practices that will decrease the population in your garden
- Organic control methods that work
But wait, there’s more!
Helpful resources I found for you about these beetles:
In the video, I said I’d put the links to these resources in the description on my YouTube channel. I did do that but I felt it’d be helpful to put them here as well:
- USDA information on the Japanese beetle
- Plants that are resistant to Japanese beetle feeding
- Plants that are susceptible to Japanese beetle feeding
- ResearchGate Japanese Beetle Infestation State by State (Sept. 2025)
- 2025 Japanese Beetle Trapping (Washington State Dept. of Agriculture)
- Canada Japanese Beetle Categories (as of 12/31/2004)