The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, has been in the United States since 1916 and in Tennessee since 1936. Adult beetles severely damage some ornamental plants, shrubs, garden plants and field crops (Figure 1). The immature stages feed on roots of grasses and other plants. Approximately 80 Tennessee counties are infested with established populations (Figure 2), although there is no geographical or climatic barrier that will prevent the spread of the beetle into all 95 Tennessee counties.
