# Are there Japanese Beetles where you live ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 6, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766 "2013-07-06T01:36:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/1 "2013-07-06T01:36:13Z")
Just asking, because I don’t know what happened to the annual plague, where I live (Central NY, very rainy). Haven’t spotted a single one and usually by this time of year they have already decimated my garden. Is it the wet weather? Are they just, I dunno, late this year? I haven’t had any ant infestations, either. Either we are lucky, or something has gone terribly wrong with the environment, or they’re just amassing somewhere in huge quantities before attacking. Have you seen Japanese beetles, or june bugs, in your garden or flying around into your window screens at night? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/2 "2013-07-06T02:19:40Z")
I haven’t seen any of the smaller, more colorful Japanese beetles but there are plenty of june bugs. About two weeks ago, I noticed one of my 40’ pine trees was fairly well swarming with june bugs. I could stand out there listening to them softly buzzing and, being the bumbling clumsy fliers that they are, the many collisions with the tree branches was audible. A cardinal was also aware of the swarm and it was fun watching him hop around in the tree, cocking his head to and fro tracking and catching many juicy beetles. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/3 "2013-07-06T02:28:37Z")
(Suburban Maryland) I remember in the late 80s everyone had [these things](http://blogs.mydevstaging.com/blogs/everydaygardeners/files/2012/06/JapBeetleBag.jpg) on their lawns and the neighborhood kids and I would get into them and fuck with the beetles, but after 1 or 2 summers they kind of just went away. I’m sure they are still around, but nobody is freaked out about them the way they were back then. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/4 "2013-07-06T02:54:29Z")
It would appear that all of the Japanese Beetles are committing hari-kari against my patio window somehow, and not making it as far east as Central NY. They are all carcases here in Cleveland. Seriously - I’ve never seen this before. Little piles of them up against my window every morning. No idea why they are dying or where they are coming from, because I haven’t see any alive. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/5 "2013-07-06T02:57:12Z")
We’ve had the orange Japanese beetles (look like orange lady bugs) every year for a decade, but this year I haven’t seen many at all. Maybe the cycle has run its course, or they have moved on to orangier pastures. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/6 "2013-07-06T03:04:17Z")
Not yet. Usually by now all of my bushes are crawling with them. I don’t know if this will be a light year, or if they are massing outside of town, just waiting to attack. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/7 "2013-07-06T03:09:02Z")
I never even knew what one was until I visited back east in the summer time when I was in my twenties. They were astoundingly large. My friend fed them to her Jack Russell terrier. She snapped them up like candy. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/8 "2013-07-06T04:06:26Z")
Since the OP is asking about personal experience, let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/9 "2013-07-06T06:31:27Z")
I’m guessing there are Japanese beetles somewhere around here, given that I live in Japan. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/10 "2013-07-06T08:23:23Z")
I’ve seen exactly one Japanese beetle since I moved to Korea. I saw them all the time as a kid in the DC area, but now that you mention it, I haven’t noticed any there in years… ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/11 "2013-07-06T11:22:38Z")
One of my neighbors used to have one of the only [Japanese Beetles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_360) sold in the US. Oh, and I’ve got a CD full of [Japanese Beatles](http://www.amazon.com/GS-Love-You-Japanese-Garage/dp/B0000004EU). ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/12 "2013-07-06T13:21:17Z")
Maybe different areas have different infestations. June bugs are similar, I looked them up and there seem to be different sizes and colors. I always get the Japanese beetles, which are copper colored with greenish bits. All over my plants and creeping my window screens at night. Well, I’ll wait and see if the icky monsters show up. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/13 "2013-07-06T14:06:56Z")
I’ve started seeing small numbers of JBs in the last few days. For the past couple of years, infestations have been way down. It’d be nice if that continues. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/14 "2013-07-06T15:33:35Z")
Here in NJ I have not seen any this year. In 07 I think we had a statewide infestation. I would put out traps and if I forgot to check them everyday they would burst with hundreds of dead beetles. They covered the pool. ---
**Author:** ![romadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@romadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romadea)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/15 "2013-07-06T20:38:03Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Just asking, because I don’t know what happened to the annual plague, where I live (Central NY, very rainy). Haven’t spotted a single one and usually by this time of year they have already decimated my garden. Is it the wet weather? Are they just, I dunno, late this year? > > I haven’t had any ant infestations, either. > > Either we are lucky, or something has gone terribly wrong with the environment, or they’re just amassing somewhere in huge quantities before attacking. > > Have you seen Japanese beetles, or june bugs, in your garden or flying around into your window screens at night? Huh…turns out we live in the same place so I can’t offer you any new information. I didn’t even notice the lack of june bugs until you brought it up. Good riddance. Crunchy bugs are the grossest bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/16 "2013-07-06T23:37:41Z")
My raspberry bushes are, as usual, crawling with Japanese beetles here in Vermont. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/17 "2013-07-06T23:42:23Z")
I’ve seen no Japanese beetles and very very few June bugs and dragonflies so far this year. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/18 "2013-07-07T00:13:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > We’ve had the orange Japanese beetles (look like orange lady bugs) every year for a decade, but this year I haven’t seen many at all. Maybe the cycle has run its course, or they have moved on to orangier pastures. I remember seeing Japanese beetles every summer growing up up until around high school, when I stopped seeing them and started seeing lots of the above. No idea if they were related (like, maybe eradication efforts against the Japanese beetles caused a niche for another invasive species, or if the other one just “pushed out” the previous.) > [@Smeghead](#): > > My raspberry bushes are, as usual, crawling with Japanese beetles here in Vermont. Huh…well that’s where I live, and like I said, I can’t remember seeing any in a while…I’d say over ten years. But IIRC, you’re in southern VT, right? Things are always a bit “iffy” down there. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/19 "2013-07-07T01:51:57Z")
None on my raspberry canes yet, but they usually don’t show up in MN until mid-July anyway. Last year my next-door neighbor put up traps, which attract far more than they kill. :smack: I asked him not to do that this year. Hopefully that will keep the numbers down. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2013, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766/20 "2013-07-07T10:42:00Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > We’ve had the orange Japanese beetles (look like orange lady bugs). Those sound like Potato Beetles. June bugs/Japanese Beetles are bigger. Neighbor kid explained to his friends- “It’s a gentleman bug, like a lady bug but it’s a boy” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-japanese-beetles-where-you-live/662766.md?page=2)