Home, Lawn & Garden Insects & Pests The Japanese beetle,
Popillia japonica Newman, has been in the United States since
1916 and in Tennessee since 1936. Adult beetles severely damage
some ornamental plants, shrubs, garden plants and field crops
(Figure 1). The immature stages feed on roots of grasses and
other plants. Approximately 80 Tennessee counties are infested
with established populations (Figure 2), although there is no
geographical or climatic barrier that will prevent the spread of
the beetle into all 95 Tennessee counties. "PB946-The Japanese
Beetle and Its Control," The University of Tennessee
Agricultural Extension Service, PB946-3M-7/02 (Rev)
E12-4615-00-003-03, http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexdise/11