Invasive species researchers are heralding a dip in the City of Vancouver’s Japanese beetle population as a win after years-long efforts to stop the spread of the ravenous plant-munching bug.
But they’re also warning that the work is far from over with its detection in other areas of B.C.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the organization responsible for trapping the insect, no Japanese beetles were detected in Vancouver in 2024 for the first time since the pest was spotted in B.C.
While the beetle was still seen in other cities in the province, Scott Sawa, an operations specialist with the agency, said Vancouver’s beetle numbers are good news in the fight against the spread of the pest.
“It’s great news that we’ve seen that huge a reduction in beetles,” Sawa said. “It’s really nice to see that all the efforts with this response over the seven- to eight-year period have really paid off.”
Also known as Popillia japonica, the invasive pest feeds on the roots of grass and the foliage of more than 300 plant species. The CFIA recognizes the insect’s spread as a threat to commercial crops and native plants.
“If the Japanese beetle isn’t controlled and allowed to establish in B.C., it could provide severe damage to the parks, trees, farms, turf, golf courses, and severe harm to the horticulture and agriculture industries,” Sawa said.
The beetles are established in eastern provinces and were first spotted in B.C. in 2017, in Vancouver’s False Creek neighbourhood.
The next year, the CFIA reported over 8,200 Japanese beetles in the City of Vancouver.
Multiple provincial agencies and municipal governments have led initiatives to stop the beetle, including placing traps to capture the insects and spraying larvicide on affected plants to kill its grubs.
The CFIA also has rules to control the spread of plants and soil out of affected areas, slowing the beetle’s movement.
Every year since 2018, the number of Japanese beetles detected in Vancouver has dropped.
“When we see the numbers [of a pest] contained and coming down, that’s what you want to see,” said Gail Wallin, chair of the Invasive Species Council of B.C.’s board of directors
But despite success in Vancouver, the beetles had traction across the province in 2024. About 25 kilometres east of Vancouver, the CFIA detected more than 500 Japanese beetles in the City of Port Coquitlam.
Meanwhile, the agency detected 11 beetles in Kamloops — a first for the Interior B.C. city.
“Those weren’t a happy find,” Wallin said, adding the council is working to understand how the beetles might spread though the region.
At the CFIA, efforts to control the beetle are far from over. Sawa said the federal government will continue surveillance of the beetle and the movement of affected plants and soils.
