Image Credit: David Cappaert via Invasive Species Council of BC

By Victor Kaisar

Invasive Species

Response plans being formulated after 11 invasive Japanese beetles found in Kamloops

Jan 28, 2025 | 6:37 AM

KAMLOOPS — Work to come up with a plan to eradicate the Japanese beetle, an invasive species of insect, that has made its way to Kamloops is underway.

However, details about what that plan looks like remain unclear at this time.

Gail Wallin, the executive director of the Invasive Species Council of B.C., is asking people to be on the lookout for the Japanese beetle, which up until this point had only been detected in Vancouver and a few other cities in the Lower Mainland.

“It’s a species we don’t want in B.C. It doesn’t belong here, it comes from afar and it will actually attack over 300 different plant species and destroy your turf,” Wallin said. “There’s all of us willing to work with Kamloops to help B.C. become Japanese beetle free. That’s our goal.”

Not much is known publicly about how the beetle made its way to Kamloops or where it was discovered. What is known is that Kamloops Councillors have agreed to add $200,000 to this year’s budget for Invasive Species Management, and that they’re expected to get more details during a closed-doors meeting this week.

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“We have been asked by the CFIA [Canadian Food Inspection Agency] to keep all of the information confidential,” Jen Fretz, the city’s civic operations director said Tuesday, when asked why discussions were being held behind closed doors. “It’s not us who suggested that it has to be confidential but it’s a broader conversation through the CFIA that requires confidentiality.”

Restrictions on plant and soil movement to come

Wallin told CFJC Today that the response plan will include restrictions on the movement of soil and plants from the areas where the beetles were found in Kamloops, just like what has been done in Vancouver where the beetle was first discovered.

What Wallin didn’t say was where in Kamloops the beetle was discovered, though she said a map will be coming out shortly.

“I don’t have the exact area in Kamloops where it was found but it’s not a big area, but it’s an area that we all need to be aware of,” Wallin said, noting the Japanese beetle typically moves around by “hitchhiking” in soil and on plants when its moved from place to place.

“One of the things that’s important with any invasive species is to have a contained area to keep it in. It’s important to have extra surveillance and then also treat what we consider high habitat areas for these beetles.”

Wallin also said work will be underway to figure out how the Japanese beetle got to Kamloops.

Residents asked to stay vigilant

In the meantime, Wallin is asking people in Kamloops to stay vigilant, noting the Japanese beetle was successfully eradicated from Vancouver after a collaborative effort involving governments and community groups.

“It takes collaboration between the federal government, the provincial government, the local government, First Nations, community groups, so there is a role for all of us,” Wallin said. “Deciding what the response plan takes a little bit more work.”

Wallin also told CFJC Today that it was “disheartening” to hear that the beetle has spread to the B.C. Interior despite efforts to keep it contained to the Lower Mainland.

“We hope this was found in the very early stages and we’ve had lots of incidents over the last eight years where there were one or two beetles and it was never found again,” Wallin said. “But when you have – in your case 11 beetles, which is way less than Vancouver had when we first found it – you can contain it and respond so that you don’t end up with the 8,000 beetles that Vancouver had to recover from.

“You’ll probably have more beetles next year because we’re looking more for it. Or ideally, we won’t find any and that’s a good thing, but we’ll take action to make sure that if there are any beetles there, they’re treated and responded to so that we’re not dispersing them to new areas.”

On its website, the Invasive Species Council of B.C says the adult Japanese beetle is about one centimetre long, with rounded oval shape and a hard shiny green exoskeleton and brown wing covers. Its best defining characteristic is the six tufts of white hairs on either side of the abdomen as no other beetle in BC has this pattern.

You can find more information on how to differentiate between the Japanese beetle and other similar looking insects here.

Information on how to report sightings of the Japanese beetle can be found here.