Regulated areas to stop spread of Japanese beetle expanded for 2023

Regulated areas to prevent the spread of invasive Japanese beetle have been expanded or introduced in several Metro Vancouver cities as the pest begins its flying season.

This spring, the regulated area for Vancouver, first established in 2018, has been expanded mostly to the south through the Dundar and Kerrisdale neighbourhoods.

Burnaby's area has expanded slightly west through Deer Lake Park and along the Lougheed Highway.

A new regulated area has been added covering much of Port Coquitlam and a small part of Coquitlam.

Regulated areas are marked in response to beetle sightings, which have spread further afield over the years.

"It's not unusual to find beetles outside of regulated areas," said Jason Crandall, a CFIA inspection advisor. "But because of the number that we found, it seemed prudent to expand those areas."

Plants with soil on them cannot be moved out of those areas without a CFIA permit. In previous years, neither soil nor plant material could be removed.

Maps of the regulated areas are available on the CFIA website.

First detected in 2017

The invasive pest was first detected in Vancouver's False Creek area in 2017.

The iridescent copper and green coloured beetle can significantly damage landscape and ornamental plants, fruit and vegetable gardens, nurseries, orchards and crops.

A statement from the City of Vancouver says landscapers and residents are encouraged to keep their plant materials on site and continue to use their green bins for yard trimmings.

Those who want to move plants with soil attached out of the regulation area will need to contact the inspection agency to obtain a free movement certificate.

Crandall said the goal is to eradicate the pest from B.C. While the bugs are being detected further east than before, numbers detected in traps have come way down.

In 2018, 2,088 CFIA traps caught 8,276 beetles. Last year, 5,928 traps caught a mere 201.

Crandall urges people living in the regulated areas to report any sightings of the Japanese beetle and to follow the rules on moving plant matter.

"None of these controls really work without the voluntary compliance of everybody involved," he said. "It's super important."