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Japanese beetle treatment year three coming up!
by Chris Hedstrom, Insect Pest Prevention and Management, Oregon Dept. of Agriculture

Watch your email inboxes and mailboxes! ODA is asking again this year for consent to allow ODA treatment to lawns and ornamental planting beds at residences in the Cedar Mill area. This treatment is provided at no charge to the residents or businesses in the treatment area.

If you were part of the treatment area last year, please check your email for instructions on how to provide your response by using the online consent form. Letters about the program with consent forms will hit mailboxes in the next couple of weeks.

When the beetles are hungry in the summer, they can destroy roses and other ornamentals, along with many crops.

For this project to be successful, it is critical that ODA receives a response from everyone in the treatment area. If we do not receive a response, an administrative warrant from Washington County may be issued to allow ODA to treat the property.

Thanks to the support and cooperation of the community, OPDA had success in reducing the Japanese beetle populations in Washington County, but there is still a lot of work to do. ODA still needs the cooperation of all members of the community to continue the fight against this pest. Please return your consent forms as soon as possible!

The threat of Japanese beetle establishing in Oregon cannot be overstated. Japanese beetle is more than a nuisance and garden pest. An economic analysis completed by ODA concluded that farmers would face estimated costs of $43 million annually to combat Japanese beetle. Most of this cost would come from increased pesticide use. Restrictions on farming exports would reduce the marketability of Oregon’s specialty crops, hurting Oregon’s economy. In addition, homeowners, parks, schools and golf courses could expect to see severe damage to lawns and landscaping.

Areas with lawns and ornamental planting beds within the treatment boundary are scheduled to receive a single treatment for Japanese beetle control in March, April or May 2019. All properties will be notified in advance of the application.

Treatment primarily consists of one granular larvicide treatment applied to all grass lawns and/or ornamental planting beds in areas where beetles were detected in 2018. Vegetable gardens, herb gardens, berry bushes and other edible plants will not be treated. Acelepryn G® is a targeted larvicide that kills certain pests in their larval state in the soil. This is a “reduced risk” pesticide and is not considered to be a health risk for humans, pets, or wildlife, including pollinators, when applied correctly and according to label directions. For more information about the reduced-risk larvicide being used, please visit https://oda.fyi/JBHealth.

Open House

Tuesday, February 19, 6:30-8:30 pm, Community Room at Sunset High School, 13840 NW Cornell Rd

An excellent opportunity to meet the team of experts leading and supporting the project, and turn in your consent forms (if you haven’t done so online or in the mail). It’s FREE to attend and anyone is welcome. We look forward to talking with you!

This event is drop-in style, come when you are able during this two-hour event.

Online Info Session

Monday, February 13, 6-7:30 pm, Click here to register today!

Online information session to hear about the project and ask questions of project coordinator; a recording will be made available online afterwards. For information about the project please visit www.JapaneseBeetlePDX.info. And please return your consent forms as soon as possible!

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