WA agency asks thousands of property owners for help in fight against invasive bug

Property owners in Yakima, Benton and Franklin counties are being asked to cooperate with state efforts to eradicate invasive Japanese beetles by allowing Washington’s Department of Agriculture to treat their yards with an insecticide.

About 17,600 property owners in the area, located in central and eastern Washington, will begin to receive letters from the department with information about the project and consent forms to have their properties treated. These treatments are free of cost to anyone within the targeted area.

The beetles pose a threat to plants and crops as they can eat more than 300 species, chewing large, irregular holes in leaves. Roses, grapes and hops are among the crops that the insects feed on. Larvae are found in soil and eat the roots of grass causing it to brown and die. The bugs can easily spread in yard waste, purchased plants, infested sod or gardening soil.

Japanese beetles don’t bite or spread disease to humans.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/01/03/wa-agency-asks-thousands-of-property-owners-for-help-in-fight-against-invasive-bug/