The Japanese beetle is a pest of plants native from Japan that attacks the roots, foliage and fruits of a variety of host plants, including elm, maple, rose, zinnia, maize asparagus, vine, apple, blueberry, raspberry and wild mulberry. Turf is the preferred host of the larval stages of the pest while adults attack the leaves and fruits of a wide variety of host plants.
Plants that Japanese beetles appreciate
The following plants have a reputation for being very popular with Japanese beetles. It is better not to plant them if you do not want to encourage them or even remove them from your field if they are already present.
Apricot tree (Prunus spp.) Butterfly tree (Buddleia spp.) Aronia (Aronia spp.) Asiminarius or pawpaw (Asimina spp.) Asparagus (Asparagus spp.) Aster (Aster spp.) Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) Eggplant (Solanum melongena) Basil (Ocimum spp.) Wheat of India (Zea mays) Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) Gray birch (Betula populifolia) Common Heather (Calluna vulgaris) Buddleia (Buddleia spp.) Caladium (Caladium spp.) Canna (Canna spp.) Cranberry (Vaccinium spp.) Carrot (Daucus carota) Cassissier (Ribes nigrum) Catalpa (Catalpa spp.) Cedar (Thuja spp.) Cherry (Prunus spp.) Thistle (Cirsium spp.) Chestnut (Castanea spp.) Marsh oak (Quercus palustris) Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) Chicory (Cichorium intybus) Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum spp.) Clethra (Clethra spp.) Japanese quince (Chaenomeles spp.) Koreans of Japan (Kerria japonica) Cormier (Sorbaria spp.) Cosmos (Cosmos spp.) Squash (Cucurbita spp.) Dahlia (Dahlia spp.) Digitalis (Digitalis spp.) Dolique (Dolichos spp.) Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) Norway maple (Acer platanoides) Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) Eupatorium (Eupatorium spp.) Raspberry (Rubus spp.) Gadelier (Ribes spp.) Grass (various grasses) Morning Glory (Ipomoea spp.) Glycine (Wisteria spp.) Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) Gooseberry (Ribes spp.) Bean (Phaseolus spp.) Hemerocallis (Hemerocallis spp.) Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) Poison ivy (Toxicodendron spp.) Heuchera (Heuchera spp.) Hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) Hops (Humulus spp.) Holly (Ilex spp.) Hydrangea with oak leaves (Hydrangea quercifolia) Impatiens (Impatiens spp.) Ipomoea (Ipomoea spp.) Iris (Iris spp.) Lagerstroemia or Indian lilac (Lagerstroemia spp.) Liatris (Liatris spp.) Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) Japanese lilac (Syringa reticulata) Corn (Zea mays) Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) Chestnut (Aesculus spp.) Mallow (Malva spp.) St. John's Wort (Hypericum spp.) Myrica (Myrica spp.) Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) Hazelnut (Corylus - some species) Black walnut (Juglans nigrum) Marigold (Tagetes patula) Oenothera (Oenonthera spp.) Evening primrose (Oenonthera spp.) Elephant ear (Caladium spp.) Elm (Ulmus spp.) Peach and nectarine (Prunus spp.) Poplar (Populus spp.) Phlox (Phlox spp.) Physocarp (Physocarpus spp.) Chilli (Capsicum annuum) Platanus (Platanus spp.) Sweet pepper (Capsicum annuum) Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Apple tree, crabapple (Malus spp.) Plum tree (Prunus spp.) Four o'clock (Mirabilis jalapa) Knotweed (Polygonum spp., Fallopia spp., And Persicaria spp.) Rhubarb (Rheum spp.) Bramble (Rubus spp.) Rose of India (Tagetes erecta) Rose-tree (Rosa spp.) Purple Rudbeckia (Echinacea spp.) Sassafras (Sassafras spp.) Willow (Salix spp.) Sorbier (Sorbaria spp.) Soybeans (Glycine max) Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) Tagetes (Tagetes spp.) Thuya (Thuja spp.) Linden (Tilia spp.) Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Trochus (Ligustrum spp.) Grape vine (Vitis spp.) Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolius) Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
Plants that Japanese beetles hate
Beetles tend to avoid them even if they are very numerous in a given area and they have already puffed the rest of the vegetation. And if they ever nibble a leaf or a flower here and there on the plants below, the damage should be so light as to be imperceptible.
Abies concolor (white fir) Acer negundo (maple of Giguère) Acer rubrum (red maple) Acer saccharinum (silver maple) Achillea (yarrow) Adiantum (capillary) Ageratum (agerate) Ailanthus altissima (glandular allanthus) Albizia julibrissin (silk tree) Allium (onion, garlic, leek, chives) Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon, mouth of the wolf) Aquilegia (columbine) Asclepias (milkweed) Astrantia (astrance) Baptisia (lupine indigo) Begonia (begonia) Betula nigra (black birch) Betula papyrifera (birch) Betula platyphylla (Japanese white birch) Brassica oleracea (cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.) Brassica rapa (turnip) Buxus (boxwood) Caladium Callicarpa (candy tree) Calycanthus floridus (calycanthus) Carya (hickory) Celastrus (tree hangman) Centaurea (centaury) Cercis (gainier) Chamaecyparis (Asian cypress) Chelone (galane) Clematis (clematis) (some varieties only) Consolida (larkspur) Convallaria majalis (lily of the valley) Coreopsis (coreopsis) Cornus (dogwood) Corylus (hazel tree) Cosmos Cotinus (wig tree, fustet) Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese cedar) Cucurbita (squash, pumpkin, etc.) Dianthus (carnation) Dicentra (bleeding heart) Diospyros (persimmon tree) Euonymus (charcoal) Ficus (fig tree) Forsythia (forsythia) Fraxinus (ash) Gaillardia (gallant) Gardenia (gardenia) Geum (benoîte) Ginkgo biloba (tree with forty crowns) Gypsophila (gypsophila, baby's breath) Hamamelis (witch hazel) Hedera (ivy) Helleborus (hellebore, Christmas rose) Hosta (hosta) Hydrangea (hydrangea, hydrangea) (except H. quericifolia) Iris (iris) (some varieties) Jacobaea maritima, anc. Senecio cineraria (cineraria maritime) Juglans cinerea (butternut) Juniperus (juniper) Kalmia (kalmia) Lactuca sativa (lettuce) Lantana (lantana) Lathyrus (sweet pea) Leucanthemum (daisy) Liatris (liatrid) Lilium (lily) Liquidambar (liquidambar) Liriodendron (tulip tree) Lonicera (honeysuckle) Lychnis (lychnid) Magnolia (magnolia) Monarda (monard) Morus (mulberry) Musa (banana) Forget-me-not (myosotis, forget-me-word) Nepeta (nepeta, catnip, catnip) Nicotiana (nicotiana, tobacco) Pachysandra (Japanese pachysander) Papaver (poppy) Petroselinum crispum (parsley) Petunia (petunia) Philadelphus (seringate) Physostegia (physostome, hinge flower) Picea (spruce, spruce) Pinus (pine) Pisum sativum (pea) Populus alba (white poplar) Portulaca grandiflora (large-flowered potpourri) Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir) Pyracantha (burning bush) Pyrus (pear) Quercus (oak) (exceptions: Q. prinus, Q. palustris) Ranunculus (gold button) Raphanus sativus (radish) Rhododendron (rhododendron, azalea) Rhus (sumac, vinegar) Robinia (robinia) Rudbeckia (rudbeckia) Ruta (street) Scabiosa (scabious) Sedum (sedum, stonecrop) Spinacia oleracea (spinach) Styphnolobium japonicum, anc. Sophora japonica (Japanese sophora) Symphoricarpos (Symphorin) Syringa (lilac) (except Syringa reticulata: Japanese lilac) Tanacetum (tansy) Taxus (if) Thuja occidentalis (cedar, cedar) (some cultivars) Tradescantia (ephemeral) Tricyrtis (toad lily) Tropaeolum majus (nasturtium) Tsuga (hemlock) Verbena (vervaine) Veronica (veronique) Viburnum opulus (viburnum obier, snowball) Viola (thought, violet)
Identification sheet from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
