Japanese beetles are threatening to destroy crops in Germany, according to DPA, citing local experts.
These insects can cause very serious damage, as there are no natural predators in Germany that could kill them.
A Japanese beetle was found in the Swiss city of Basel near the border with Germany.
The Julia Kuna Institute, a federal research center for cultivated plants, classifies the insect as a “beetle with a large appetite.”
The pest feeds on more than 300 species of plants. Experts point to endangered apple trees, stone trees, strawberries, corn, grapes, roses and many other shrubs and trees.
The larvae consume mainly grass roots and can destroy large areas of meadows and pastures, experts warn.
In mid-July, a male Japanese beetle fell into a so-called pheromone trap near Basel. The Swiss Pest Control Service believes that the insect came from the infected area near the Italian Lake Maggiore.
German agricultural authorities found single Japanese beetles in 2014 near Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia, and in 2018 near Oberstdorf in Bavaria.
The adult Japanese beetle resembles the local garden beetles.