The Japanese beetle is gradually spreading to all parts of South Carolina. It was first noticed in the United States about 1916 in New Jersey.
Although the Japanese beetle may feed on hundreds of different kinds of plants, so far heavy damage has been found on very few. Severe damage may be expected on any one of some 40 or 50 plants grown as ornamentals. In addition to feeding on the foliage, the larvae as white grubs may wreck lawns.
The Japanese beetle is brilliantly colored, oval, and less than half an inch long. Wing colors are coppery with fine longitudinal lines, and the body is a beautiful metallic green. The five tufts of white hairs projecting from under the wing covers on each side and the two patches of white hairs at the tip of the abdomen are the distinguishing characteristics.
Adults feed in the daytime from early June to Labor Day. They devour leaves as well as flowers. Leaf tissue is eaten between the veins so that the foliage looks somewhat like lace. Peak emergence and damage in South Carolina usually occur around July 4.
