The 2020 Japanese beetle eradication season will soon be underway. We wanted to thank you again for your support, and remind you to please fill out the online or paper consent form if you have not done so already. Online consent form can be found here: https://oda.direct/JBconsent
 
We also wanted to answer several of your most common questions below. You can also review our FAQ sheet at: japanesebeetlepdx.info/faq. Please reach out to us for any additional questions you may have about the project.
 
When will my property be treated?
The granular treatment of Acelepryn® will occur in April, May, or June of 2020. For select areas with high beetle density a second supplementary foliar application will occur in June or July of 2020. If you provide a phone number or email address on your consent form, you will be notified at least 72 hours in advance of when your property is scheduled to be treated. 
 
Will the treatment harm my pets or kids?
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 threat for humans, pets, and other insects that don’t go through a larvae stage in treatment areas (including pollinators) when applied correctly. 
 
It is unlikely that even direct exposure to chlorantraniliprole, when used according to directions on the Acelepryn G®’s label, will result in adverse health effects to humans or animals. In 2014, the EPA determined with reasonable certainty that no harm will result to the general population, or to infants and children from exposure to chlorantraniliprole residues. The EPA reaffirmed this in September 2016. The EPA determined that no harm is expected from exposure to chlorantraniliprole from skin contact or by incidental ingestion by children/toddlers over the short and intermediate-term. In fact, to exceed the EPA’s maximum acceptable daily dose for chlorantraniliprole, a toddler would need to eat more than 4 pounds of treated soil daily.
 
As of February, 2019, the OHA’s Pesticide Exposure Safety & Tracking Program has never received a case of pesticide poisoning involving chlorantraniliprole.
 
Will my edible plants be treated?
Raised beds, vegetable gardens, blueberry bushes, and other edible shrubs, trees or plants will not be treated. Acelepryn G® is not labeled for edible plants and the label is the law; therefore we do not treat edible plants. 
 
ODA and GTS crew members are trained in edible plant identification. We also encourage residents to write us a note on their online or paper consent form describing what edible plants they have and where they are located. In the past residents have also used flagging to mark the locations of edible plants or given us paper maps showing the location of their edible plants. 
 
The EPA has categorized chlorantraniliprole, the active ingredient in Acelepryn G®, as a “reduced risk” larvicide. EPA has allowed other products containing chlorantraniliprole to be registered for use on food crops such as peaches, plums and artichokes. Based on EPA's assessment of these food uses, the risk to the general population from consumption of home garden fruits and vegetables near Acelepryn G® applications is expected to be hundreds to thousands of times below a level of concern. EPA has determined that chlorantraniliprole is neither neurotoxic, carcinogenic, nor teratogenic. No known reports of hypersensitivity (allergy) or pesticide poisoning have been reported.
 
What is the difference between eradication and management?
An eradication project may be put in place following a detection of a new invasive species to remove all life stages (pest adults, larvae and eggs) from the area and stop the pest from becoming established. Methods for eradication vary based on the biology and characteristics of the pest. Without eradication, the pest would remain in the state indefinitely. It is best to detect invasive species as early as possible. Sometimes, early detection methods will detect as few as 1-2 individuals. Prevention and early detection programs are a critical part of our state’s defense against invasive species. If an invasive species is found, risk models and biological experts help to decide whether an eradication project is necessary to protect the state from the devastating effects of an invasive species. The Japanese beetle population in Cedar Mill, Bonny Slope, Oak Hills, and Bethany area of Washington County was small enough when detected that eradication may be possible.
 
If an invasive species becomes established in a state, affected industries, private businesses, and individual homeowners must then employ management strategies indefinitely to try and minimize the negative consequences of the invasive species. Management strategies do not completely eliminate the invasive species from an area. Management strategies can include chemical, mechanical, cultural, and biological control methods. Often a combination of several of these methods are employed. 
 
Are nematodes effective against the Japanese beetle?
Entomopathogenic nematodes have provided inconsistent control of Japanese beetle grubs in field tests. The effectiveness of nematodes can be greatly influenced by environmental conditions including temperature, soil type, soil moisture, and pH. As we are trying to eradicate the Japanese beetle from Oregon, not simply manage them, nematodes would not be an effective eradication tool.
 
In one field trial testing the effectiveness of nematodes against the Japanese beetle, researchers found control varied greatly- between 0-81% control, whereas Acelepryn G® has been shown to be 85-95% effective at control in field trials. 

We wanted to give everyone an update on how the Japanese Beetle Eradication project went this past year.
 
Overall, 95% of you consented to treatment this year. With your help we treated 8,500 residences, 6 schools, 8 parks, 3 shopping centers, and 1 golf course. This came out to roughly 3,000 acres.
 
This year we trapped 7,749 Japanese beetles in the Cedar mill area. The overall number of beetles trapped in 2019 was a 56% reduction from the previous year. There was a 65% reduction in the number of beetles trapped within the 2018 treatment boundary as a result of the 2018 granular treatment and 2019 foliar treatment. We saw a 75% decrease within the boundaries of the supplementary foliar treatment. 
 
In order to eradicate this pest, we will continue our treatment next season. We are thrilled with our success, and will be more aggressive with our approach next year while we have the upper hand. We are currently planning a larger treatment boundary for the 2020 eradication and will update everyone soon with the new map. We thank you all for your continued support with helping Oregon eradicate Japanese beetle, it wouldn’t be possible without all of you! 

Happy Holidays!