The U.S. Domestic Japanese Beetle Harmonization Program is a product of the National Plant Board. Its purpose is to help ensure that nursery stock can be grown and shipped from nurseries in Japanese beetle-infested areas of the United States to other areas in the United States or Canada that are not infested as much or at all.
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The federal government no longer regulates the movement of nursery stock for Japanese beetles, so each state can implement its own strategy. The National Plant Board wants harmonious regulatory strategies, and for the most part, the program achieved this goal. It was adopted in 1992 and revised in 1998, 2004 and 2007.
Shipping material
The part of the program I want to discuss is where a nursery in an infested area wants to ship containerized plant material to a Category One state. These states have no Japanese beetles or have quarantines on their introduction.
The good news is that there are regulatory treatments that can be applied to such material provided a few simple rules are followed. Here is a summary of the wording from the JBHP:
Application of approved regulatory treatments. All pesticide products must be labeled in the state where treatments are applied and must be used in strict accordance with product labeling instructions and worker-protection standards. Phytosanitary officials and nurseries should verify registration/labeling status before using a product. Environmental factors, varietal differences and growth stage may have significant effects on phytotoxic expression. When using any pesticide, trials are recommended under the anticipated growing conditions and observed for phytotoxic symptoms for at least seven days before large numbers of plants are treated.
All treatments will be performed under direct supervision of a phytosanitary official or under compliance agreement. Treatments and procedures under a compliance agreement will be monitored closely throughout the season. State phytosanitary certificates listing and verifying the treatment used must be forwarded to the receiving state, as well as accompanying shipments.
The phytosanitary certificate shall bear this declaration: “The rooted plants were treated to control Popillia japonica according to the criteria for shipment to category 1 states as provided in the
Dip treatment for B&B and container plants
Chlorpyrifos (Dursban 4E, DursbanTNP). Apply at a rate of 2 pounds active ingredient (64 ounces) per100 gallons of water. Only balled-and-burlapped, potted and containerized nursery stock with root balls 12 inches in diameter or smaller and consisting of non-clay soil are eligible. Dip the potted or B&B stock to submerge the entire root ball and all growing media of the container or the root retaining materials into the solution. The submersion time should be a minimum of two minutes and until complete saturation occurs. Upon removal from the solution, drain plants in an environmentally safe way. Treatment is to be applied against Japanese beetle larval stages. Plants should not be shipped before they are well-drained and can be easily handled. Treated material must be shipped prior to beetle flight, or be protected from re-infestation .During the adult flight period all treated plants must be protected from re-infestation if they are held for more than two weeks before shipment.
Drench treatments for container plants only
Potting media must be sterile and soilless. Containers must be clean. Field-potted plants are not eligible for certification using this protocol. This is a prophylactic treatment protocol targeting eggs and early first instar larvae. If the containers are exposed to a second flight season they must be retreated.
Imidacloprid (Marathon 60WP). Apply 0.5 gram of active ingredient per gallon as a prophylactic treatment just prior to Japanese beetle adult flight season. Apply tank mix as a drench to wet the entire surface of the potting media. A 24-gallon tank mix should be enough to treat 120-140 1-gallon containers. Avoid over-drenching. During the adult flight season, plants must be retreated after 16 weeks if not shipped to ensure adequate protection.
Bifenthrin (Talstar Nursery Flowable7.9%). Mix at the rate of 20 ounces per 100 gallons of water. Apply as a drench approximately 8 ounces of tank mix per 6 inches of container diameter.
Media (granule) incorporation for container plants only
All pesticides used for media incorporation must be mixed before potting and plants potted a minimum of 30 days before shipment. Potting media must be sterile and soilless. Containers must be clean and plants for potting will be free of Japanese beetle. The granules must be incorporated into the media before potting. Field-potted plants are not eligible for treatment. This treatment protocol targets eggs and early first instar larvae and allows for certification of plants that have been exposed to only one flight season after application. If the containers are to be exposed to a second flight season, they must be repotted with a granule incorporated mix or retreated using one of the approved drench treatments.
Pesticides approved for media incorporation are:
* Imidacloprid (Marathon 1 G). Mix at the rate of 5 pounds per cubic yard.
* Bifenthrin (Talstar Nursery Granular or Talstar T&O Granular (0.2 G)). Mix at the rate of 25 parts per million or 1/3 of a pound per cubic yard based on a potting media bulk density of 200.
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* Tefluthrin (Fireban 1.5 G). Mix at the rate of 25 ppm based on a potting media bulk density of 400.
- Charles C. Powell