Concerns over a changing climate as Japanese pest spreads in France
The slow spread of a rare Japanese beetle is the latest in a long series of shocks that demonstrate that a changing global climate is influencing the number and types of pests that Europeans are facing.
Native to Japan, P. japonica is considered a major agricultural pest because it feeds on more than 300 species of food, forest and ornamental plants, including grapevines, fruit trees, berries, lawns and maize.
As well as being voracious feeders in their adult phase, in their larval phase they are known to consume grass roots and shoots while living in soil, which can cause serious problems for lawns, gardens and crops.
The beetle became established in Italy in 2014 and Switzerland in 2017 before reaching eastern France last year, and could continue its expansion as warmer temperatures allow it to breed in a greater range of places. It is already endemic as an invasive species in part of the United States, and while it has not yet reached the UK, British authorities continue to monitor for its presence.
Sophie Thorogood, Technical Training Manager at Pelsis, said: “The major concern regarding the Japanese Beetle is that it is polyphagous and feeds on such a wide variety of vegetation that an infestation has the potential to cause serious damage wherever it happens. In the UK, there would be major concern for crops and fruit trees which are already threatened by climatic changes. Also, as with other invasive species, they have few natural predators in their new environments and so find it easier to spread and build in population.”
“Monitoring is the first line of defence against pests such as the Japanese Beetle, and keeping an eye out for the insects themselves as well as the larvae and the distinctive ‘skeletonising’ of leaves as they eat the softer parts of the plant. They can be confused with UK chafer beetles but they are most brightly coloured. Pheromone-based traps are effective at locating high activity to manage infestations.”
