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OREM — Six years and nearly $1 million later, the final attack is set to exterminate one pesky species of beetle that has impacted the lawns and gardens of hundreds of residents.
Then, state, city and other partners should able to declare a full victory over the Japanese beetle.
"We are hoping this will be the end of it," said Larry Lewis, a spokesman with the state Department of Agriculture.
On Monday, the bug troops will descend on a pair of Orem neighborhoods for one final push to kill any stragglers. Last year, only a solitary male beetle was ensnared in a trap, so Lewis and others are confident the destructive and rapidly producing beetle will be gone for good.
While it may seem like "overkill" for such a response, Lewis said if nothing had been done in 2006 when a few thousand were first spotted, their numbers would be at 21 billion today.
Each female produces up to 80 eggs, which are laid underground. They morph into a worm of sorts, devouring root systems and eventually making their way above ground where they voraciously attack other plants.
It's anticipated that if left to multiply, the Japanese beetle — which feeds on more than 300 kinds of plants — would have inflicted $100 million in damage to the state's fruit tree and plant nursery industries.
Lewis said other states with infestations have been termed "quarantine" states in which exports are either entirely banned or severely restricted.
Other states' eradication problems, too, have not been nearly as successful as the effort in Utah, which saw a 95 percent reduction rate in Japanese beetle populations in 2010.
Lewis attributes much of that to a cooperative effort forged by the city, the county, state agricultural officials, the Utah State University Extension Service and most importantly, the residents themselves.
"Other states have had outbreaks like this and the cooperation has not been as high. They have not been able to eradicate it like we have here in Utah," he said.
Joyce Johnson directs Orem's Neighbors In Action Program, which set about on a public education campaign when the infestation was first detected. A series of public meetings were held, and informational fliers were distributed among infested neighborhoods.
Because of the nature of the pest-control chemicals used in the early stages of the battle, a ban on gardening had to be invoked and green-waste recycling was also suspended for the impacted areas.
Interested in learning more?
| contact USU extension service |
|---|
| If you're interested in learning more about the Japanese beetle, even taking a look at a specimen, the opportunity is available at the USU Extension Service at 100 E. Center in Provo. The service's number is 801-851-8479. |
In addition, residents were asked to refrain from aerating their lawns because of the risk of spreading the beetle to other areas of the city or county.
"It was a huge problem for us," Johnson said. "There were a lot of things people could not do that they were used to doing. It was a much bigger issue than people realized."
Many impacted residents were loath to let go of fresh-grown garden produce so the city came up with an alternative called Share the Harvest.
A produce wagon was set up at a convenient location in town and was the repository for excess produce. The city also tapped the Justice Garden grown by Utah County Jail inmates, who would deliver produce once weekly to the wagon.
Johnson admits it is a bit ironic to have something so negative — such as a beetle infestation — be a catalyst for so many good results.
"It has been an extremely successful program that has brought the community together in a way nothing else could have done."
Email:aodonoghue@ksl.com
