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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Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series
WINTER:
Jan. 13: Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Jan. 6: Hints for choosing tomato seeds
Dec. 30: Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees
Dec. 23: Is edible gardening possible indoors?
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
WINTER
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden checklist for week of Jan. 18
Make the most of these rain-free breaks. Your garden needs you!
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* Plant bare-root roses and fruit trees.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladiolus for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees, except cherry and apricot trees. Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Prune Christmas camellias (Camellia sasanqua), the early-flowering varieties, after their bloom. They don’t need much, but selective pruning can promote bushiness, upright growth and more bloom next winter. Give them an acid-type fertilizer. But don’t fertilize your Japonica camellias until after they finish blooming next month. Doing that while camellias are in bloom may cause them to drop unopened buds.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
Contact Us
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