Spraying Begins in Fair Oaks for Japanese Beetles

In the quiet neighborhood of Long Acres Court, a tiny, foreign pest threatens to devour every bit of flora in its path and Sacramento County Department of Agriculture officials mean to wipe them out first.

Well, at least the three that have been found so far.

Last week,  two Japanese beetles had been spotted living on the quiet Fair Oaks cul-de-sac, where one year earlier another had been spotted living nearby.

The beetle is a notoriously destructive pest, best known on the east coast for its voracious floral appetite, an appetite Sacramento County acting agricultural commissioner, Juli Jensen hope to expunge from Fair Oaks.

Today spraying to eradicate the beetles began along Long Acres Ct. and is part of a two week, two-phase process, said Sacramento County spokeswoman, Kerri Aiello.

Pesticide applications on approximately 100 properties located in the treatment area will take the entire month of August, said Sac County Deputy Ag Commissioner, Ramona Saunders.

"Each property will be treated twice over that time period," Saunders said. "A foliar spray, performed twice (two weeks apart), will target any adult beetles on plants; and during that second application a soil treatment will also be used to target grubs or the immature form of the beetle."

For the foliar treatment, two chemicals will be used. On ornamental hosts, cyfluthrin (or Tempo) will be applied, and for fruit trees, carbaryl (or Sevin) will be used. Both chemicals are toxic to honeybees. Sevin has been known to kill certain freshwater fish as well.

Carbaryl was the chemical used to treat an outbreak of Japanese beetles in Orangevale 20 years ago, Jensen said.

Vegetable gardens will not be treated, Saunders said. The one-time soil treatment will consist of imidacloprid (or Merit) granules. Merit will be applied to turf and under shrubs.

"The chemicals will kill non-target insects in the area along with the Japanese beetles," Saunders said. "However, those non target insects will rebound as the treatment area is relatively small."

If the Japanese beetle were allowed to become established, the indigenous fauna would be exposed to more widespread chemical use - probably by the general public, Saunders explained.

"Because this infestation has been found early, we have the chance to eradicate it – and be done with it," Saunders said. "There are other strategies for control, including not treating all the properties. But nipping this pest in the bud while the infestation is manageable is our ultimate goal."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Japanese beetle is the most widespread turf-grass pest in the United States and expenditures to control this pest are estimated at more than $460 million a year.

The beetle is known to cause extensive damage to ornamental plants like roses or cut flowers. Adult beetles feed on the leaves, flowers, and fruit of more than 300 species of plants; while larvae, also known as grubs, live in the soil and feed on plant roots, especially those of grasses. An adult Japanese beetle is a little less than 1/2 inch long and has a shiny, metallic-green body and bronze-colored outer wings, with small tufts of white hair along the sides of its body, under the edges of its wings.

There are many look-alike bugs out there, Saunders said. Hoplia beetle, Green Fig beetle are just a couple of the insects she sited. For more information please visit the CDFA website at www.cdfa.ca.gov or call the CDFA PEST HOTLINE at 1-800-491-1899.