Asiatic garden beetle is a part of the scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae) family indigenous to China and Japan. It was spotted in the United States, New Jersey in particular, in the 1920s, regarded a pest there, mostly damaging field crops and grasses.
Size: 9.57 mm (0.37 inches)
Color: It has a cinnamon brown or copper coloration with a velvety appearance. The presence of short yellow hairs are seen in an irregular pattern on the undercol3s of their thorax.
Other Characteristic Features: As small as the size of a coffee bean, it appears domed or plump, with the abdomen protruding a little from its wing covers. They even have broader and larger hind legs.
The matured larva grub about 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) long has a C-shaped white body and brown head, marked with a series of curved spines on its undercol3s.
The pupation stage commences between May and June, with the pupa being white initially and eventually turning to tan by the last larval stage. They grow between 7.93 and 9.5 mm (0.31 – 0.37 inches) in length. The pupal stage lasts for not more than 8 – 15 days.
The females lay about 60 eggs in a week in clusters of 3 – 15. They are oval at the onset, becoming spherical upon getting absorbed in water.
| Lifespan | About a month |
| Distribution | Native: Japan and China Non-native: The northeastern United Statesand parts of eastern Canada, having a wide and extensive range, touching upon the regions of New England, Ohio, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina |
| Habitat | Larva: Grassy areas mostly in vegetable or flower gardens where the soil is moist, loamy, and sandy Adult: Mostly in fields, deciduous forest areas, and everywhere else where there host plant grows |
| Common Predators | Spiders, wasps, bugs, birds |
| Seasons active from | Late June – late October |
| Host Plants | Larvae: Grass, weed, corn, soybean potato Adults: Cherry, turnip pepper, rose, dahlia, and eggplant (few of the 100 types of plants they feed on) |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Roots of several plants like corn, sweet potato, and soybean, as well as grass Adults: Feed on more than 100 different kinds of plants like leaves of cherry, peach, viburnum, boxelder, carrot, eggplant, turnip, pepper; fruits; flowers like rose, dahlia, aster as well as herbs |
The adult beetles feed at night, stripping and shedding their host plant’s foliage, reducing them to bits, with only the midrib remaining in the case of heavy feeding.
On the other hand, the larva has a more scattered diet pattern since it feeds in several depths. It does cause damage to the turf and roots, but at a lesser intensity than the adults.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, cfaes.osu.edu, content.ces.ncsu.edu, bugguide.net, content.eol.org
Asiatic garden beetle is a part of the scarab beetle (Scarabaeidae) family indigenous to China and Japan. It was spotted in the United States, New Jersey in particular, in the 1920s, regarded a pest there, mostly damaging field crops and grasses.
Size: 9.57 mm (0.37 inches)
Color: It has a cinnamon brown or copper coloration with a velvety appearance. The presence of short yellow hairs are seen in an irregular pattern on the undercol3s of their thorax.
Other Characteristic Features: As small as the size of a coffee bean, it appears domed or plump, with the abdomen protruding a little from its wing covers. They even have broader and larger hind legs.
The matured larva grub about 12.7 mm (0.5 inches) long has a C-shaped white body and brown head, marked with a series of curved spines on its undercol3s.
The pupation stage commences between May and June, with the pupa being white initially and eventually turning to tan by the last larval stage. They grow between 7.93 and 9.5 mm (0.31 – 0.37 inches) in length. The pupal stage lasts for not more than 8 – 15 days.
The females lay about 60 eggs in a week in clusters of 3 – 15. They are oval at the onset, becoming spherical upon getting absorbed in water.
| Lifespan | About a month |
| Distribution | Native: Japan and China Non-native: The northeastern United Statesand parts of eastern Canada, having a wide and extensive range, touching upon the regions of New England, Ohio, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, South Carolina |
| Habitat | Larva: Grassy areas mostly in vegetable or flower gardens where the soil is moist, loamy, and sandy Adult: Mostly in fields, deciduous forest areas, and everywhere else where there host plant grows |
| Common Predators | Spiders, wasps, bugs, birds |
| Seasons active from | Late June – late October |
| Host Plants | Larvae: Grass, weed, corn, soybean potato Adults: Cherry, turnip pepper, rose, dahlia, and eggplant (few of the 100 types of plants they feed on) |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Larvae: Roots of several plants like corn, sweet potato, and soybean, as well as grass Adults: Feed on more than 100 different kinds of plants like leaves of cherry, peach, viburnum, boxelder, carrot, eggplant, turnip, pepper; fruits; flowers like rose, dahlia, aster as well as herbs |
The adult beetles feed at night, stripping and shedding their host plant’s foliage, reducing them to bits, with only the midrib remaining in the case of heavy feeding.
On the other hand, the larva has a more scattered diet pattern since it feeds in several depths. It does cause damage to the turf and roots, but at a lesser intensity than the adults.
Image Source: a4.pbase.com, cfaes.osu.edu, content.ces.ncsu.edu, bugguide.net, content.eol.org
