Eleven Japanese beetles were found in Kamloops, a first for the BC Interior since they first turned up in the Lower Mainland in 2017.
Image Credit: David Cappaert/Invasive Species Council of BC
January 23, 2025 - 6:00 PM
A coordinated effort to eradicate an invasive beetle in BC has made some progress in the Lower Mainland, but that didn't stop the insect from making its first known migration to the Interior.
Several Japanese beetles were trapped in Kamloops last summer and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is drawing up plans to stop its spread.
The insect is a major threat to agriculture and a federal program seeks to rid the west coast of them. None were caught in Vancouver during the 2024 survey, a first since they were first spotted in 2017, but 11 were caught in Kamloops.
Kamloops city council was informed during Jan. 21 budget talks about the invasive bug and the potential need to use $200,000 in taxpayer funds to combat its spread. They were not informed of what the invasive insect was.
Instead, council was told City staff were working with the Food Inspection Agency under "strict confidentiality" as they strategized a path forward.
City utility services manager Greg Wightman told iNFOnews.ca the federal agency started working with his staff when the beetle was found in August, but any of the specifics around that work couldn't be discussed yet. He also said the $200,000 figure was estimated based on costs for cities that took on similar efforts. Whether it will be included in the final budget this spring isn't clear.
The Food Inspection Agency said Kamloops is the only city in the province's Interior to see the beetle so far.
An agency spokesperson also said spread to another city doesn't necessarily mean there's an established presence, citing small findings in Delta and Richmond in previous years that saw no return numbers.
The Japanese beetle has been in North America for more than 100 years, but it has largely spread from the east coast. Larvae will feed on roots, but adults go after leaves, particularly a risk for orchards, vegetable crops, vineyards and plant nurseries, according to the Invasive Species Council of BC.
Until 2017, BC was considered Japanese beetle free before the first insect was spotted in downtown Vancouver. Since then the federal food agency has overseen a tracking and eradication program in several Lower Mainland cities.
They often spread through soil or turf that is transported by humans so, among its regulations, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency introduced rules for those moving plant material that could carry the beetle. Those regulations are currently in place for Vancouver, Burnaby and the Coquitlam area, but it's not clear whether Kamloops could see the same.
Aside from surveying Vancouver and Kamloops, the 2024 count found one beetle in Abbotsford, 19 in Burnaby and 541 in Port Coquitlam, according to a food inspection agency spokesperson.
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