We need your help protecting our trees from the invasive Japanese Beetles. These beetles are found frequently this time of year and cause immense damage to our local vegetation. This is especially evident at our Hog’s Back Park planting sites. They have favoured attacking the Basswood and Yellow Birch on site and now have begun to attack the Bur Oak and Red Oak. They cause immense foliage damage to the 300 species of plants that they prey on. The picture below showcases the extent of damage on one of the Basswoods at Hog’s Back Park.

This interesting story by the CBC discusses some of the management tips for dealing with these beetles. The most effective method for the public to use is a bucket of soapy water. This can be done while walking through your yard and your neighbourhood! It is also why we will be adding a “Beetle Bucket” to our Hog’s Back Park site! The bucket will contain soapy water for beetles to be placed into. The “Beetle Bucket” can be carried from tree to tree to pick up any beetles in sight. It will then stay next to the Water Tote on site for everyone to use!

Fighting back against invasive species is apart of FCF’s mission to care for our afforestation sites after they have been planted. Adding mulch, watering and fighting back against invasive species at our sites will help our trees survive through their younger years of growth. However, we cannot do this alone! We hope to engage the amazing community members that surround sites such as Hog’s Back Park to become stewards of these sites!

If you are interested in fighting back against this invasive species feel free to come by the Hog’s Back Park planting sites for some beetle picking! While you are there our trees would also benefit from being watered. Watering buckets and a watering checklist accompany our watering tote. If you have any questions or suggestions on how we can manage the Japanese Beetles please email us at comms@foretcapitaleforest.ca.