Japanese beetle spray Monday in Orem likely the last

OREM — Six years and nearly $1 million later, the final attack is set to exterminate one pesky species of beetle that has affected the lawns and gardens of hundreds of residents.

Then, state, city and other partners should able to declare a full victory over the Japanese beetle.

"We are hoping this will be the end of it," said Larry Lewis, a spokesman with the state Department of Agriculture.

On Monday, the bug troops will descend on a pair of Orem neighborhoods for one final push to kill any stragglers. Last year, only a solitary male beetle was ensnared in a trap, so Lewis and others are confident the destructive and rapidly producing beetle will be gone for good.

While it may seem like overkill for such a response, Lewis said if nothing had been done in 2006 when a few thousand were first spotted, their numbers would be at 21 billion today.

Each female produces up to 80 eggs, which are laid underground. They morph into a worm of sorts, devouring root systems and eventually making their way above ground where they voraciously attack other plants.

It's anticipated that if left to multiply, the Japanese beetle — which feeds on more than 300 kinds of plants — would have inflicted $100 million in damage to the state's fruit tree and plant nursery industries.

Lewis said other states with infestations have been termed "quarantine" states in which exports are either entirely banned or severely restricted.

Other states' eradication problems, too, have not been nearly as successful as the effort in Utah, which saw a 95 percent reduction rate in Japanese beetle populations in 2010.

Lewis attributes much of that to a cooperative effort forged by the city, the county, state agricultural officials, the Utah State University Extension Service and most importantly, the residents themselves.

"Other states have had outbreaks like this and the cooperation has not been as high. They have not been able to eradicate it like we have here in Utah," he said.

Joyce Johnson directs Orem's Neighbors In Action Program, which set about on a public education campaign when the infestation was first detected. A series of public meetings were held, and informational fliers were distributed among infested neighborhoods.