Distribution:
The Japanese Beetle infests about half the contiguous 48 states (east of a line running from Michigan, southern Wisconsin and Illinois, south to Alabama) and continues to spread at a rate of 5-10 miles per year. 

Origin and Time of Introduction:
 The Japanese beetle was first discovered in the United States at Riverton, New Jersey, during mid-August, 1916.  The original Japanese beetle infestation in 1916 occupied an area not more that one-half square mile, but by 1930 the beetle had spread over 5,700 square miles in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and had become a serious pest. Today 

Common Characteristics:
Larvae are cream colored and become a light reddish-brown with age.  They are approximately ½ inch long and ¼ inch wide.  The adults are a bright, metallic green in color and are 3/8 inch long and ¼ inch wide.  The wing covers are copper-brown.

Environmental Impact:
The adults skeletonize the leaves of their hosts (over 400 species of broad-leaved plants), damaging not only  numerous ornamental herbaceous plants,
shrubs, vines and trees, but also small fruits, tree fruits, row crops, and many other plants. Beetle grubs feed on plant roots, attacking mainly turf (lawns, golf courses, and pastures) but also damage the roots of many other
crop and ornamental plants. 

Management:
Quarantines, habitat modification, insect parasites, bacterial milky disease, entomophagous nematodes, trapping and insecticides are some of the management options.