Posted
Article written by
/2021/12/14/61b8b98e077d1_france-2.png)
The Japanese beetle is a small beast with golden reflections, seemingly harmless, but which can do a lot of damage. The Health Security Agency warns that one of the specimens has been spotted in Italy and could therefore arrive in France.
It is at our doorstep and its voracity disturbs. The Japanese beetle attacks some 400 plant species. “It will feed on the leaves of plants, the plants of food plants such as corn, soybeans or vines, forest species such as poplar and ornamental species such as roses and lawns”, says Christine Tayeh, scientific coordinator at ANSES. In Italy, where it is already rampant, the damage is considerable.
60% of the raspberries have been destroyed. Coming from Japan, the insect has recently been spotted in Switzerland and Germany. The beetle moves by flying, but also with modern transport, vehicles or transported goods, “but also by the larvae which may be present in the soil”, specifies Christophe Brua, president of the Alsatian society of entomology. It has not yet been reported in France, but its progression must be monitored.