Can Japanese Beetles Kill Trees?

Japanese beetles are famous for killing trees, flowers, and other plants by consuming the fleshy part of their leaves in a process called skeletonizing (see the image to the left).

Trees rely on their leaves for respiration and for obtaining energy by the process of photosynthesis. A swarm of Japanese beetles can easily devour the bulk of a tree’s leaves, leaving it severely weakened and in danger of dying.

Japanese beetles are strongly attracted to a tree that is already damaged and under attack by a beetle infestation. That is how a swarm Japanese of beetles can quickly build and become life-threatening to the tree.

Many a gardener has learned that Japanese beetles must be dealt with quickly in order to prevent them from destroying their crops. The beetles have a voracious appetite and if left unchecked an infestation will wreak havoc.

The leaves of a tree are like biological solar panels, converting the sun’s rays into energy that are used to fuel growth and metabolic processes. When the leaves have been severely damaged by Japanese beetles, the trees ceases to function properly and becomes vulnerable to disease and death.

If you have a Japanese beetle infestation, there are very effective natural insecticides that can get rid of them. Be sure to do so before the problem escalates and it becomes too late.