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Asiatic Garden Beetle #873776

Asked June 19, 2024, 12:45 PM EDT

Hello, I’m experiencing what I believe to be is asiatic garden beetle damage on some plants in my garden. They are mainly targeting my sunflowers at the moment. I live in south central MI and just started noticing damage a few days ago. I’d like to try to get them under control before they become a huge problem and move from my sunflowers to the rest of my garden. Do you have any advice on how to combat these pests? Thank you.

Jackson County Michigan

Expert Response

Hi Chelsey, thanks for the question.  

Yup, certainly looks like an Asiatic Garden Beetle.  These nighttime marauders can do a lot of damage.  They usually eat up to the large veins in leaves. Be sure to get rid of nearby weeds.  They like to spend their daytime under the soil at the base of weeds.  You can sometimes flood them out in the open during the day. They have an appetite that includes hundreds of garden plants. To be sure they are the problem you can go out after dark with a bright light to see them when they are active. A bright light will also attract them. There are some other leaf chewers that come out at night including leaf eating larvae (caterpillars).  Handpicking is a good method for smaller populations.  An insecticide with the active ingredient Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae (strain SDS-502), can help to reduce the population.  There are also other pesticides listed for the AGB. Check out the following links:

Asiatic Garden Beetle [fact sheet] | Extension (unh.edu)

Asiatic Garden Beetle | NC State Extension Publications (ncsu.edu)

I hope this is helpful.

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 26, 2024, 10:41 AM EDT

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