While state agriculture workers continue to eradicate the invasive Japanese beetle, Washington State Department of Agriculture officials confirmed a beetle was found in Richland on Thursday, causing a growing concern for agriculture products.
Officials said the “infestation is growing exponentially” in the state.
The catch found in Richland is reportedly more than 35 miles east of a proposed quarantine zone in Grandview. There was also a confirmed detection of the beetle in Wapato, 30 miles west of Grandview.
“Finding two detections so far from the original grid in two separate directions suggests the Japanese beetle population is spreading very quickly,” said Japanese beetle eradication project coordinator, Camilo Acosta. “The longer the invasive pest continues to thrive here, the more difficult and expensive it will be to control.”
WSDA said a pest program trapper was doing a rountine check in Richland when the beetle was found. The trapper immediately began setting up additional traps.
Because Japanese beetle detections have grown to more than 65 miles across Interstate 82, which is a major pathway for agricultural production in the state, farmers in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties are also being charged to monitor for the invasive species.
WSDA has created a real-time detection map that will allow agricultural growers to find out just how close they are to a beetle detection.
In early May, WSDA began treatments to eradicate the invasive spcies.
Officials say the pest eats more than 300 different plants including roses, grapes, and hops.
Officials said public participation is needed in fighting the beetle as they would like for anyone to look for, trap and report the sighting of Japanese beetles on their property, espcially in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties.
Before you report a sighting, here’s how to identify a Japanese beetle:
Japanese beetle adults are metallic green and brown and have little tufts of white hair on their sides. They emerge — usually from lawns or in other soil — in the spring and feed throughout the summer. From fall to winter, the grubs (larvae) overwinter in the soil and slowly develop into mature adults ready to emerge again in the spring.
Click here to report a sighting of the beetle.
According to WSDA, three Japanese beetles were first discovered in the Grandview area in 2020. In 2021, more than 24,000 beetles were caught and so far this year, WSDA has trapped more than 8,300.
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