During routine pest surveillance in 2024 conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), a low number of Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) were detected in Kamloops. Japanese beetles are a federally regulated and quarantined pest in Canada under the Plant Protection Act. If left unmanaged this pest can cause significant damage to parks, golf courses, gardens and agriculture crops.
Help Reduce the Spread of Japanese Beetle
Here are a few good practices to help reduce the chance of spreading Japanese beetle or larvae. This is especially important if you are in a Japanese beetle regulated area!
- Minimize the movement of plants with soil attached.
- Keep plants, soil, and root balls on site whenever possible.
- Mulch plant waste in place or compost on site whenever possible.
- If moving plants, first shake off any soil, soil-related matter and/or growing media attached; cover and secure your load to prevent hitchhiking beetles from flying out into areas where no beetles are present.
- Clean all soil from boots, clothing equipment and tools, including: lawn mowers, rakes, shovels, trimmers, wheelbarrows, brooms, etc., before you go to another site. Diligence is especially important when cleaning aerating and power raking equipment because these types of equipment can present a significant risk for carrying different Japanese beetle life stages.
- Always check for hitchhikers! Japanese beetles can hitch a ride on clothing, pets, sports bags, picnic blankets, bicycles, footwear and vehicles. Shake it, before you take it!
Report Japanese beetle sightings to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
How Does the Japanese Beetle Cause Damage?
This insect can cause significant damage during two life stages. During the larval (grub) stage they feed on fibrous root systems, causing damage to grass, shrubs, turf and garden crops. This poses a high risk for gardens, lawns, green spaces, orchards, and agricultural crops.
During the adult stage they have the ability to quickly attack the foliage, flowers, and fruit of over 300 types of plants and crops such as maple, birch, rose, apple, grapevines, fruit trees (peach, apple, apricot, cherry and plum), and berries (blueberries, raspberries and blackberries).
How to Identify Japanese Beetle
Physical features of the Japanese beetle:
- oval-shaped
- approximately 10 millimeters long and 6 millimeters wide
- head and thorax are metallic green
- wing coverings are metallic copper-brown
- white tufts of hair along the sides and rear of the abdomen
Click here to view Japanese beetle look-alike species.
Signs of damage on your plants may include:
- lacy, skeletonized feeding damage on leaves
- large, irregularly shaped chewed portions on some flowers
June 2025: The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has established a Japanese Beetle Regulated Area in Kamloops. The Kamloops Regulated Area covers the downtown area east of 6th Avenue, south to Highway 1, and north to the Thompson River, including Riverside Park.
View a map of the regulated area
There are requirements for moving plant and soil out of a regulated area. Please see the Plant and Soil Disposal Rules section below.
Plant and Soil Disposal Rules
To reduce the risk of spreading the Japanese beetle, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has implemented movement control measures to limit the removal of plants with soil attached out of the regulated area.
These materials, known as regulated articles, include:
- plants for planting (including returns to suppliers outside the regulated area)
- turf grass, sod, and ornamental grasses
- annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and bedding plants
- potted houseplants (non-commercial) grown outdoors or used as patio plants
- plants with roots and soil attached, even if destined for disposal
Under the Canadian Food Inspection Agency guidelines, plants with soil or soil-related matter attached require a movement certificate year-round to leave the Japanese beetle regulated area.
A movement certificate is not required for the movement of regulated articles into or within a regulated area.
Soil alone and above-ground plants and plant parts are not regulated and do not require a movement certificate to leave the regulated area.
How to Dispose of Plant and Soil Material
