Popillia lewisi found in massive numbers on USAF runway in Okinawa
Extracted from California Pest and Disease Report Vol. 12, No. 3-4 (1993):
A beetle interception was also of interest. The following report by Dick Brown outlines the find:
Smith River AIS Patty Adams made a startling and unexpected interception when a driver
handed her a baggie containing 20 dead "Japanese beetles." It turned out that the Air Force
Reserve Officer had collected the beetles on the tarmac in Okinawa and thought we might be
interested. The officer stated to PQI Pat Wilson that, "The airfield there was crawling with
Japanese beetles to the point of making the runways slippery from the crushed bodies."
In a further development, the "Japanese beetles" actually turned out to be the very closely related
species Popillia lewisi. From the airman's remarks, it looks as if this species of Popillia also has the
potential to become a very serious pest. This is just one more exotic species that California must
be alert for in order to prevent establishment here.