Pests Confederation fears further spread of the Japanese beetle

The Federal Office for Agriculture is calling on the public to be vigilant about the Japanese beetle. The pest can get into cars and trains unnoticed. It can travel long distances as a stowaway.

In its communiqué on Thursday, the Federal Office described the beetle as extremely voracious. It feeds on more than 400 plant species and is a major threat to agriculture, horticulture and the environment.

According to the information, the Japanese beetle first arrived in Ticino from Italy in 2017 and later also in the Simplon region in Valais. Last year, an infestation was detected in the canton of Zurich, and last week also in the Basel region and the city of Basel. Among other things, the training ground of the first team of FC Basel in Münchenstein BL was dug up and covered.

There is a risk that the beetle could be introduced into other regions of Switzerland by returning travelers at the end of the vacation season and spread there, the Federal Office wrote. It asked the public to check their luggage and vehicles carefully.

Characteristic tufts of hair

Anyone who discovers a suspicious beetle should catch it immediately and report it to the responsible cantonal plant protection service, it said. However, the Japanese beetle is easy to confuse with certain native species such as the June beetle and the garden chafer, wrote the Federal Office.

Adult Japanese beetles are ten to twelve millimetres long and have a green-metallic shimmering body with copper-colored wing covers that do not completely cover the abdomen. Five white tufts of hair can be seen on each side of the abdomen. Two further, wider tufts of hair are located at the back of the abdomen.