Subject: assassin bug eating japanese beetle
Location: Hermann, Missouri
July 19, 2014 4:09 pm
stopped to close a gate and saw this. took about 30 pics in order to get one that was decent. sending in high rez. makes me really really happy that there are natural predators to the dang japanese beetles. not nearly enough of them, but still….
Signature: c. millard
Dear c. millard,
Thank you so much for sending in your excellent image of a Wheel Bug feeding on a Japanese Beetle, and we are certain it will warm the collective hearts of gardeners in the eastern portions of North America where the invasive, exotic Japanese Beetle feeds on hundreds of different ornamental garden plants and food crops. According to our sources, Japanese Beetles were not a big problem in Ohio in 2014.
My parents just spotted a couple of these feasting on the JB the first week of July, 2014, in Parsonsburg, Maryland. They had never seen a wheelbug before; but, they hope more show up.
Thanks for that information.
We Illinoisians have noticed a marked decline of japanese beetles since the severe drought we suffered in 2012. 2013 brought no jbs whatsoever, and very few mosquitos. This year ive only picked 4 jbs off my raspberries, but the mosquitos have come back with a vengance and make any kind of gardening outside impossible wout bug spray.
We heard a very similar report from a gardening relative in Ohio.