In order to prevent the further spread of the Japanese beetle pest, the Swiss city of Basel is using nematodes in public parks and sports facilities for the first time. A specialist company sprayed a solution containing the nematodes onto lawns. The nematodes are invisible to the naked eye. They are designed to penetrate the pest’s larvae in the soil and kill them.
“We hope that this will help to contain the Japanese beetle,” said Simon Leuenberger, head of the department for the maintenance of green spaces in Basel, about the new procedure. “But we will only see next year whether we are successful.” Soil samples will then be taken for monitoring purposes. The beetle has so far been found in twelve places in the region.
The nematode strains are effective against Japanese beetle larvae as well as against the larvae of the black vine weevil and garden chafer pests, as the cantons of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft reported. “The nematodes are harmless to other animals and to humans.”
The animals eat more than 300 plant species
The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica), which comes from Asia, is classified as a pest in the EU. The insect is a particular threat to viticulture, horticulture and agriculture. Roses, blackberries, grapes: the animals attack orchards, vineyards, forests, green spaces and gardens, devouring everything on more than 300 plant species.
Basel is located directly on the German border. After the finds in the Swiss city, the district of Lörrach on the German side of the Rhine expanded preventive protection measures. In Baden-Württemberg, several specimens of the dangerous beetle species were caught this year. A specimen was also discovered in Bavaria.
Distinguishing features: White tufts of hair
The Japanese beetle is only about one centimeter long, has a metallically shiny green head and brown wings. Its distinctive features are five white tufts of hair on each side of the abdomen and two white tufts of hair at the end of the abdomen. According to experts, the females prefer to lay their eggs in moist or watered grass areas. Larvae hatch from the eggs, which eat grass roots and cause damage to meadows and lawns.
