Agriculture Confederation calls for vigilance against Japanese beetles
The Swiss government has called on the Swiss population to be vigilant against Japanese beetles. Anyone who finds a suspicious beetle should catch it immediately and report it to the responsible cantonal plant protection service.
03.07.2025, 09:53
SDA
It is also important to check luggage and vehicles carefully for the Japanese beetle when traveling, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced on Thursday. The beetles could be transported as "stowaways" over long distances in cars and trains and become dangerous in other regions of Switzerland.
The Japanese beetle is voracious and can cause considerable damage in agriculture. It can be recognized by white tufts of hair on both sides of the abdomen. Anyone who finds a Japanese beetle should freeze it, photograph it and report it.
In some cases, eradication is no longer possible
In parts of the cantons of Valais and Ticino, there are already zones in which eradication of the beetles is no longer promising, according to the FOAG. In infested areas in the cantons of Basel, Schwyz, Valais and Zurich, attempts are still being made to eradicate the beetle.
In order to prevent the beetle from spreading further, the federal government has also put a new emergency plan into force. This plan regulates the actions of the Confederation and cantons in the event of suspected cases and outbreaks.
The plan provides for a combination of measures: Beetles are monitored and caught using attractant traps, infested areas can be treated with insecticides, larvae in the soil are controlled by tillage, beetles are collected in a targeted manner and the conditions for their development are made more difficult - for example by banning irrigation.
The beetles feed on the leaves, flowers and fruit of over 400 plant species. As larvae, they feed mainly on grass roots and thus endanger green spaces of all kinds. For these reasons, the animals pose a threat to agriculture, horticulture and the environment, according to the Confederation.
