Are Japanese Beetles Poisonous or Toxic?

Photo: Japanese beetle by Leo Papandreou (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

There is no reason to worry about a Japanese beetle bite because they are not poisonous or toxic in any way. The insects are completely benign to humans and other animals.

In fact, Japanese beetles are a culinary delicacy of sorts in certain parts of the world. They can be cooked and eaten without any worry of getting sick, so long as they are cooked thoroughly and all bacteria is killed in the process.

So don’t be concerned if your dog or cat swallows a Japanese beetle because it won’t hurt them.

Nonetheless, I would recommend wearing garden gloves when you are picking Japanese beetles off of your garden plants just to be safe. But even if you grab them with your bare fingers, don’t be worried that they are poisonous because they are not.