Bill Hutchison, Extension Entomologist, Ellie Meys, Undergraduate Student, & Erin Buchholz, Plant Health Specialist, Landscape Arboretum, University of Minnesota
Although Japanese beetle (JB) adults continue to be active throughout August to early September, we shared good news last week that beetle numbers on most host plants/crops are beginning to decline. The gradual reduction in adult populations is due to several factors, including the end of local emergence “curve” this time of year, but also reflects the impact of several natural mortality factors. One of these factors is biological control, specifically the Winsome fly (WF) (Istocheta aldrichi: Family Tachinidae), which lays its distinctive white eggs quite conspicuously just behind the head of JB adults (i.e., the pronotum; see photo, 2020). Read the article on the Fruit & Vegetable News blog.