Geraniums could help control devastating Japanese beetle

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/usdo-gch030810.php

Public release date: 8-Mar-2010
Contact: Alfredo Flores
United States Department of Agriculture-Research, Education, and Economics

Geraniums could help control devastating Japanese beetle
This release is available in Spanish.

Geraniums may hold the key to controlling the devastating Japanese beetle, which feeds on nearly 300 plant species and costs the ornamental plant industry $450 million in damage each year, according to scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

The beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, can feast on a wide variety of plants, including ornamentals, soybean, maize, fruits and vegetables. But within 30 minutes of consuming geranium petals, the beetle rolls over on its back, its legs and antennae slowly twitch, and it remains paralyzed for several hours. The beetles typically recover within 24 hours when paralyzed under laboratory conditions, but they often succumb to death under field conditions after predators spot and devour the beetles while they are helpless.