The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture has contracted a landscaping company to perform Japanese Beetle larvicide treatments beginning Monday, June 23. The larvicide Acelepryn is registered and approved for use by Health Canada.

Treatments will focus on downtown St. John’s where the beetle has been detected and will include Government House, as well as a portion of land owned by the City of St. John’s in the area of Victoria Street and Duckworth Street.

Signage will be placed on treated sites once treatment has occurred which will indicate re-entry times. Larvicide treatment days will be weather dependent and is not harmful to humans or pets.

Japanese Beetles can spread quickly, especially via wind, or through transportation of soil and plants. If not controlled, this insect poses a serious threat to agriculture, horticulture, landscaping and forestry industries, and may result in damage to lawns, sports fields and golf courses. Japanese Beetle is known to feed on more than 300 plant species and has no natural predators.