Popillia japonica: insights into its biology, ecology as well as its impact and management in viticulture

Abstract: The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is a highly polyphagous beetle native to
Northeast Asia, where it is a relatively insignificant pest. Yet, the unintentional introduction of this quarantine organism into Europe represents one of the greatest challenges facing plant
protection services, agriculture and viticulture in recent years. In addition, this scarab poses also a major threat to public and private lawns in recreational spaces and parks. Unlike numerous other harmful insects recently introduced into Europe, P. japonica has been present in North America for over a century and there exists therefore already a wealth of knowledge on its biology, ecology and management. We summarised the available information on P. japonica in a recently published review dedicated to practitioners (Kehrli et al., 2025 a) and provide here deeper insights into its threat to grapevines after briefly introducing the pest and its assumed economic impact.