Report Japanese beetle sightings or feeding damage in British Columbia
If you think you have found an insect which you suspect is Japanese beetle or if you have found signs of Japanese beetle feeding damage, anywhere in British Columbia (BC), report your find(s) to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as soon as possible by:
- Calling 604-292-5742 or
- Emailing BCPF.Japanese.Beetle@inspection.gc.ca
To assist in correctly identifying the suspect insect, please refer to the Guidelines for submitting photographs of suspect Japanese beetle and/or the Guidelines for Collecting suspect Japanese beetle which are listed below.
If you find Japanese beetle outside of BC, please report the find to your local CFIA office.
For Japanese beetle finds within areas of Canada which have a regulatory status of "partially or generally infested", including: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, it is unfortunately outside of the CFIA's mandate to provide advice on how to manage JB infestations. Your provincial ministry of agriculture may be able to provide additional information.
Guidelines for submitting photographs of suspect Japanese beetle
- Where possible, take multiple photos under good light of the suspect Japanese beetle(s).
- Photos should be clear, high-resolution (if possible) and close-up to the suspect beetle(s).
- Japanese beetles are extremely active between 10 am and 2 pm on sunny days where the temperature reaches or exceeds 21 degrees Celsius. The suspect beetle may not stay still long enough for you to take a photo, and so you may want to collect the beetle and then take photos.
- See below for advice on the collection of beetles.
- Note the address/area details of where the suspected Japanese beetle photo was taken.
- Submit high-quality photo(s) of the suspected Japanese beetle to: BCPF.Japanese.Beetle@inspection.gc.ca.
Guidelines for collecting suspect Japanese beetle
Suspect beetles should be placed in a hard-sided, sealable container and placed in the fridge.
Contact the CFIA as soon as possible after collecting the insect(s) by calling 604-292-5742 or emailing BCPF.Japanese.Beetle@inspection.gc.ca.
Please do not collect specimens from inside of a regulated area and transport outside of a regulated area.
figure 1 - adult Japanese beetle
Identifying features of adult Japanese beetle (Figure 1)
- Oval shape when looked at from above
- Approx. 10 mm long and 6 mm wide
- Head and thorax are metallic green
- Wing coverings are metallic copper-brown
- White tufts of hair along the sides and rear of the abdomen
Feeding damage - signs to look for
- Lacy, skeletonized feeding damage on leaves (figure 2)
- On some plants flowers, the beetles chew out large irregularly shaped portions (figure 3)
figure 2 - skeletonized leaf damage from Japanese beetle feeding
Photo Credit: Troy Kimoto, CFIA
figure 3 - Japanese beetle feeding on rose
Photo Credit: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org
Not Japanese beetle
The following insects are "look-a-likes" which are commonly mistaken for Japanese beetle:
European chafer beetle
Photo Credit: Michael Reding, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org
Adult European chafer beetle (left) beside adult Japanese beetle (right)
Photo Credit: Bruce Watt, University of Maine, Bugwood.org
Stink bug
Photo Credit: Dave Holden, CFIA
Brown marmorated stink bug
Photo Credit: David R. Lance, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org
Green bottle fly
Photo Credit: Dave Holden, CFIA
Viburnum leaf beetle
Photo Credit: Paul Weston, Cornell University, Bugwood.org
10-lined June beetle
Photo Credit: Dave Holden, CFIA
St. John's wort beetle
Note: This beetle does not have white tufts on the sides
Photo Credit: Cheryl Moorehead, bugwood.org