It’s official, Japanese beetle adults are active in North Carolina. We have been tracking these insects for about three weeks through our Insect Pest Tracking Network and have now recovered them from 10 of 11 sites. Numbers are increasing but we are still about two weeks away from peak emergence. For preventive grub applications, you want to make sure you are applying product as close to peak adult flying activity as possible. When the majority of adults are active and flying, the largest number of females will be laying eggs. You want to apply in that 10-14 days prior to egg hatch window in order to maximize contact with 1st instar larvae. I will posting again when we start to see full JB traps at most sites. For now, hang tight and prepare to apply in a few weeks.
