Japanese Beetles are Flying in False Creek

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed, as of June 29, 2020, that Japanese beetles are now flying in the same general area of False Creek in Vancouver as last year.

The Japanese beetle was first discovered in Vancouver’s False Creek area in 2017.  It can significantly damage landscape and ornamental plants, fruit and vegetable gardens, nurseries, orchards, and agricultural crops. In response, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is restricting plant material and soil from being moved outside the regulated area which includes False Creek and Downtown, to help prevent the beetle from spreading.

Watch for, and report, any Japanese Beetle sightings, including a photo if possible, the time and the address where it was found. Put the creature in a jar so CFIA can make positive ID if necessary. 

Commenting on the effectiveness of last year's treatment program, Shannon Derksen, Incident Commander, CFIA, stated, "In terms of evaluating the 2019 treatments applied, complete survey data is needed before drawing any conclusions. Our survey is technically considered complete in October after all traps have been collected."