Neighborhoods in Arden-Arcade and Rancho Cordova to be treated
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| Japanese beetles often are confused with June bugs, which are twice the size. (Photo courtesy California Department of Food and Agriculture) |
Sacramento County is getting the jump on Japanese beetles. Before any new bugs are detected this spring, crews are treating neighborhoods in Arden-Arcade and Rancho Cordova in hope of breaking the life cycle of this highly destructive, invasive pest.
On Monday, Sacramento County announced it would start beetle treatments, the second year of an eradication program triggered by the detection of Japanese beetles in those neighborhoods. Impacted property owners will be notified in advance, the county says.
In past years, a few beetle sightings have triggered quarantines and spraying. But the last two years have brought a bevy of bad beetles.
“ Between June 4, 2020, and Aug. 9, 2021, a total of 231 Japanese beetles were trapped in the communities of Arden-Arcade and Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County,” according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “Unless emergency action is taken to disrupt the JB life cycle, there is a high potential for sudden future detections in Sacramento County and other areas.”
With shiny copper-toned wing covers and green heads, Japanese beetles look like little scarabs. They’re small – only 1/3 to ½ inch long – but are often confused with fig beetles or June bugs, which are both about twice the size of Japanese beetles.
So far, California has repeatedly fought off infestations of Japanese beetles, which are well established on the East Coast. But these Sacramento County bugs have been a challenge.
Traps were set out last summer in a 49-square-mile area of Sacramento County to monitor Japanese beetle activity. Instead of numbers going down, they went up.
“ (After review of data), I have determined that an infestation of Japanese beetle exists in the area, and poses a statewide significant imminent danger to California’s commercial fruit and berry production, residential fruit plantings, natural resources, and the economy,” wrote Karen Ross, California’s Secretary of Food and Agriculture.
“ Adults feed on the foliage and fruits of several hundred species of fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, and field and vegetable crops,” Ross said in her declaration. “Among the plants most commonly damaged are apple, pears, caneberries, pears, blueberries, cherries, plums, corn, rose, grape, crabapple, turf grass and beans.”
All that adds up to bad news if these beetles become established in the Central Valley.
Among the worst turf-grass pests, Japanese beetle larvae feed on the roots of lawns. Golf courses, parks and playgrounds are particularly susceptible and can act as nurseries for the baby beetles. The eradication effort includes treating lawns and ground covers with Acelepryn (also known as chlorantraniliprole).
The treatment areas include two islands in Arden-Arcade: An Edison Avenue neighborhood mostly between Becerra Way and Norris Avenue; and a larger area surrounding Watt Avenue from William Way to Marconi Avenue, including all of the Del Paso Country Club.
Likewise, two islands located within Rancho Cordova will be treated: The neighborhood surrounding Corvina Drive near Zinfandel Drive; and neighborhoods on both sides of Highway 50 from Mather Field Road to White Rock Road.
This eradication program is expected to continue through 2024 until state and county officials can determine if Sacramento County is Japanese beetle free.
For more information, contact the Sacramento County agriculture commissioner’s office at 916-875-6603 or CDFA’s Pest Hotline at 800-491-1899.
For details, https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/JB/treatment/
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)
June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself
June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude
May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?
May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs
May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power
May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens
May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
April 7: Calendulas do double duty
April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
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March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
Feb. 24: Treasure spring daffodils now and for years to come
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Garden checklist for week of June 14
We'll be back to normal temperatures for mid-June (about 86 degrees) by Thursday. In the meanwhile:
* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the early hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.
* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.
* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.
* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.
* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.
* Avoid pot “hot feet.” Place a 1-inch-thick board under container plants sitting on pavement. This little cushion helps insulate them from radiated heat.
* Thin grapes on the vine for bigger, better clusters later this summer.
* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.
* Warm weather brings rapid growth in the vegetable garden, with tomatoes and squash enjoying the heat. Deep-water, then feed with a balanced fertilizer. Bone meal can spur the bloom cycle and help set fruit.
* Generally, tomatoes need deep watering two to three times a week, but don't let them dry out completely. That can encourage blossom-end rot.
* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.
* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.
* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.
* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes. There’s still time to plant melons, pumpkins and squash from seed.
* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias. It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, bidens, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.
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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening
WINTER
Is edible gardening possible indoors?
Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
FALL
Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden
Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it
Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers
Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air
Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets
Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty
Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
SUMMER
Sept. 16: Time to shut it down?
Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch
Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning
Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?
Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you
Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water
Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers
July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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