Confederation calls for vigilance against Japanese beetles
Keystone-SDA
The Swiss authorities have called on people to be vigilant against Japanese beetles. Anyone who finds a suspicious beetle should catch it immediately and report it to the relevant cantonal plant protection service.
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It is also important to carefully check luggage and vehicles for the Japanese beetle when travelling, the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced on Thursday. The beetles could be transported as “stowaways” over long distances in cars and trains and become dangerous in other regions of Switzerland.
The Japanese beetle is voracious and can cause considerable damage in agriculture. It can be recognised by the white tufts of hair on both sides of the abdomen. Anyone who finds a Japanese beetle should freeze it, photograph it and report it.
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According to the FOAG, there are already zones in parts of the cantons of Valais and Ticino where there is no longer any prospect of eradicating the beetles. Attempts are still being made to eradicate the beetle in infested areas in the cantons of Basel, Schwyz, Valais and Zurich.
To prevent the beetle from spreading further, the government has also introduced a new emergency plan. This regulates the approach of the Confederation and cantons in the event of suspected cases and outbreaks.
The plan provides for a combination of measures. Beetles are monitored and caught in traps, infested areas can be treated with insecticides, larvae in the soil are controlled by tillage, beetles are collected in a targeted manner and the conditions for their development are made more difficult – for example by banning irrigation.
The beetles feed on the leaves, flowers and fruit of over 400 plant species. As larvae, they feed mainly on grass roots and thus jeopardise green spaces of all kinds. For these reasons, the animals pose a threat to agriculture, horticulture and the environment, according to the federal government.
Translated from German by DeepL/mga
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