Japanese beetle season begins in late May to early June. This is the time of year that adult Japanese beetles come out and become visible and active. The exact time in your area will vary, however, depending upon latitude, temperature, and climate conditions.
During this time the Japanese beetle pupa, which have been dormant for months, emerge from their protective cocoons and begin feeding in earnest and looking for a mate. They are at this stage now considered adult beetles.
The adult phase of the Japanese beetle life cycle is short lived, however. Beginning in late August, the adult beetles begin to die, signaling the beginning of the end of the Japanese beetle season. By mid fall when the weather starts turning colder, the adult Japanese beetles will have virtually disappeared from the landscape.
Although Japanese beetles only come out for a few months every year, they can still do quite a bit of damage to plants. When thousands of Japanese beetles descend upon a tree with their voracious appetite, they can quickly skeletonize its foliage and severely weaken and even kill it.
Of course, they have already mated and the female Japanese beetles have laid their eggs, ensuring that next summer there will be a new generation of beetles to torment gardeners everywhere.
Here’s a video clip from a newscast on how to battle Japanese beetles when they come out in your neck of the woods:
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