David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Congratulations to Richard Wilkins and many others for correctly identifying last week’s pest as Japanese beetles. They started coming out in the last couple of weeks. Although they feed on numerous hosts, they do have their preferences, as you can see by the photo. Grapes are also highly susceptible to skeletonization. Corn may be at risk if they are clipping silks below a half inch, less than 50% pollinated, and there are 1-2 beetles per ear. Soybean leaf skeletonizing looks eye catchy, but rarely is significant.
