WSDA: Now Is The Time To Sign Up For Japanese Beetle Treatment

Now that the New Year has come and gone, the Washington State Department of Agriculture is reminding residents now is the time to sign up for Japanese Beetle treatments.  In the coming days, the WSDA will send out Japanese beetle treatment consent letters.  The Department stresses it is crucial for the success of the program that residents that receive these letters in the mail respond and sign up for free treatments.  The WSDA is reminding those living in or near quarantine zones that they need to: 

• to sign up every year
• give consent for each of your properties in the treatment area

The Department of Ag is reminding everyone to stay on the lookout for the consent form and encourage your neighbors to respond.  “Beetles don’t respect boundaries. You can treat your yard but if your neighbors do not, their yard can allow the beetles to thrive. Those beetles can travel back to your property or nearby agricultural fields.”

In addition, the Department noted the free yard waste drop-offs are closed until spring.  Items without soil can move outside of the quarantine area until May 15th.  

If you live in or near Japanese beetle treatment areas, you should have received an end of year post card.  The post card reminds you to sign up for 2025 treatments, help prevent beetles from spreading, and shares with you an option to send feedback to the program.

Two new Japanese beetle signs are going up at the rest stops near Selah and Prosser. They will help teach travelers to look for and report Japanese beetle sightings, and to prevent spreading them to new areas. 

In 2024 the Washington State Department of Agriculture placed 6,339 Japanese beetle traps statewide. Beetles were caught in King County surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and in Yakima, Benton, Franklin counties. The table below shows how many beetles have been caught around each area. You can also view catches on our interactive map. 

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail glenn.vaagen@townsquaremedia.com