Japanese Beetle

Gardens, agricultural fields, and wooded areas with a wide range of host plants, including fruit trees, roses, and turfgrass.

Herbivorous. Adults feed on the foliage, flowers, and fruits of over 300 plant species, skeletonizing leaves. Larvae (grubs) feed on the roots of grasses.

Adults are active during warm summer days and often aggregate in large groups to feed and mate. Females burrow into soil to lay eggs, and resulting grubs overwinter underground before pupating in spring.

Risks: Highly destructive agricultural and garden pest that can severely damage crops, ornamental plants, and lawns. Benefits: None to minimal for ecosystems where it is invasive, though adults serve as a food source for some birds and mammals.