Japanese Beetles Expanding Range in Iowa

July 27, 2009
ICM News

By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology


Since my June 30 ICM News article about Japanese beetle activity in Iowa, there have been many reports of adults feeding in corn and soybean. Adult Japanese beetles are metallic with white tufts along each side of the body. Several extension field agronomists have also reported seeing beetles in new areas this summer. Japanese beetles have a wide host range, feeding on more than 300 different plant species. With so much corn and soybean in Iowa, it's probably no surprise they are expanding range here.


Life cycle. Japanese beetles have one generation per year in Iowa. Adults emerge from grass in late June and immediately begin to feed on low-lying plants such as roses and shrubs. Adults eventually move up on trees and field crop foliage to feed and mate. Mated females move back to grass in August and September to lay small egg masses in soil cavities. The eggs hatch into small grubs that feed on roots underground until late September when the temperature cools. The almost fully-grown grubs burrow down in the soil and remain inactive all winter. In the early spring, grubs become active again and feed until turning into resting pupae. The pupae hatch into adults and emerge from the soil.


Damage and Management.  Japanese beetles release a strong aggregation pheromone, and are commonly seen feeding and mating in clusters. Adults are also highly mobile and move frequently in the summer. In soybean, adults prefer to feed on the upper leaf surface. The treatment threshold for Japanese beetles in soybean is 30 percent defoliation before bloom and 20 percent defoliation after bloom through seed set. See Table 1 for labeled products for Japanese beetle in soybean.


japanese beetle on soybean


Japanese beetles remove tissue from soybean leaves, resulting in a bronzed, lacy appearance.


In corn, Japanese beetles can feed on leaves, but the most significant damage comes from clipping silks during pollination. Consider a foliar insecticide during tasseling and silking if there are three or more Japanese beetles per ear and pollination is not complete. Abundant soil moisture and rapid silk growth should be taken into consideration in making treatment decisions. See Table 2 for labeled products for Japanese beetle in corn.


japanese beetle on corn


Adults aggregate during tasseling and can clip corn silks.


 


Table 1. Insecticides labeled for Japanese beetle adults in soybeanjapanese beetle thresholds in soybeans


 


Table 2. Insecticides labeled for Japanese beetle adults in cornjapanese beetle thresholds in corn


 


Erin Hodgson is an assistant professor of entomology with extension and research responsibilities. She can be contacted by email at ewh@iastate.edu or phone (515) 294-2847.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on July 27, 2009. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.

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Erin Hodgson Professor

Dr. Erin Hodgson started working in the Department of Entomology, now the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology, at Iowa State University in 2009. She is a professor with extension and research responsibilities in corn and soybeans. She has a general background in integrated...