What methods are used to control Japanese beetles?

Biological, cultural, mechanical, non-organic and organic methods are used to control Japanese beetles.

Specifically, the insect in question (Popillia japonica) displays complete metamorphosis by passing through four distinctly different stages in the life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult. The larval or the adult stage is the most common point at which applicators intervene since eggs are laid 2 to 4 inches (5.08 to 10.16 centimeters) below the ground and pupae cluster around plant roots. Larvae and adults will be more treatable since they can be accessed above-ground.

Biological applications center around fungal pathogens (Beauveria bassiana, Metarrhiizium), milky spore disease-inducing bacteria (Bacillus popilliae ), insect-eating nematodes (Heterorhabditisspp), and parasitic wasps (Tiphia vernalis) against grubs and parasitic flies (Istocheta aldrichi) against adults. Cultural controlsemphasize avoiding plants which Japanese beetles favor (such as berries and small fruits, birch and linden, crape myrtle and rose, sassafras and willow, summersweet and Virginia creeper) and favoring those which the beetles avoid (burning bush and forsythia, clematis and lilac, dogwood and redbud, hemlock and pine, holly and magnolia). Mechanical methods - which will attract every beetle within range - include pheromone traps, which generally are ineffective on an individual basis and work most effectively when a large area (such as a neighborhood) is involved. Non-organic and organic treatments require use of insecticides, such as those with carbaryl (against adults) and imidacloprid (against larvae) in terms of synthetics and those with insecticidal soap or Neem extract in the case of botanicals.