Japanese Beetles - Plant Selection

Plant Selection

Careful selection of plant species when replacing or adding to your landscape is the key to avoiding annual battles with Japanese beetles. Some species and cultivars are highly preferred by the adults and should be avoided where the beetle is abundant. Plants that are especially prone to damage include roses, grapes, lindens, sassafras, Norway maple, Japanese maple, purple-leaf plum, and others (Table 1). Many varieties of flowering crabapples are also severely attacked by the beetles, although some cultivars are resistant.

Japanese beetles on rose blossom
Roses are highly susceptible to Japanese beetles

Table 1. Landscape Plants Likely to be Attacked by Adult Japanese Beetles.
Scientific name	Common name
Acer palmatum	Japanese maple
Acer platanoides	Norway maple
Aesculus hippocastanum	Horsechestnut
Althaea rosea	Hollyhock
Betula populifolia	Gray birch
Castanea dentata	American chestnut
Hibiscus syriacus	Rose-of-Sharon, Shrub Althea
Juglans nigra	Black walnut
Malus species	Flowering crabapple¹, apple
Platanus acerifolia	London planetree
Populus nigra italica	Lombardy poplar
Prunus species	Cherry, black cherry, plum, peach, etc.
Rosa species	Roses
Sassafras albidum	Sassafras
Sorbus americana	American mountain ash
Tilia americana	American linden²
Ulmus americana	American elm
Ulmus procera	English elm
Vitis species	Grape
1. Some cultivars (e.g. Baccata v. jackii, Jewelberry, Harvest Gold, Louisa) are relatively resistant. See Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service publication ID-68, "The Flowering Crabapple," for more information. 2. Tilia tomentosa 'Sterling' and Tilia americana 'Legend' are less susceptible than other lindens.

Fortunately, many common trees and shrubs are much less attractive to Japanese beetles (Table 2). These differences in susceptibility should be considered when selecting plant species and cultivars for use in Japanese beetle-infested areas.

Table 2. Landscape Plants Seldom Damaged by Adult Japanese Beetles.

Scientific name

Common name

Acer negundo

Boxelder*

Acer rubrum

Red maple

Acer saccharinum

Silver maple

Buxus sempervirens

Boxwood

Carya ovata

Shagbark hickory*

Cornus florida

Flowering dogwood

Diospyros virginiana

Persimmon*

Euonymus species

Euonymus (all species)

Fraxinus americana

White ash

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Green ash

Ilex species

Holly (all species)

Juglans cinerea

Butternut*

Liriodendron tulipifera

Tuliptree

Liquidamar styraciflua

American sweetgum*

Magnolia species

Magnolia (all species)

Morus rubra

Red Mulberry

Populus alba

White poplar

Pyrus communis

Common pear*

Quercus alba

White oak*

Quercus coccinea

Scarlet oak*

Quercus rubra

Red oak*

Quercus velutina

Black oak*

Sambucus canadensis

American elder*

Syringa vulgaris

Common lilac

Most evergreen ornamentals, including Abies (fir), Juniperus, Taxus, Thuja (arbor vitae), Rhododendron, Picea (spruce), Pinus (pine) and Tsuga (hemlock) are not attacked.

*Species marked with an asterisk may suffer occasional light feeding.

Japanese beetles are also fond of certain weeds and non-cultivated plants such as bracken, elder, multiflora rose, Indian mallow, poison ivy, smartweed, and wild grape. Elimination of these plants whenever practical destroys these continuous sources of infestation.

Although plant selection is important, other approaches must obviously be used to protect susceptible plants that are already established in landscapes.

Japanese Beetles