One of the most frustrating things that happens to gardeners is putting in the effort to grow beautiful, healthy plants, only to have them chewed up by pests. You may have noticed that some of the leaves on your plants look skeletal – that is, most of the leaf tissue has been eaten, leaving behind the veins and petiole. This is likely the work of Japanese beetles. Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are a particularly persistent invasive species that’s become a major pest in the garden. Even government-run control programs have failed to fully suppress populations, so gardeners should be prepared to keep this pest out of the garden.
This article will review various control methods to see which ones are best.
