Federal regulators to step up invasive beetle response in Kamloops

A seasonal pesticide treatment isn’t enough for federal regulators as Kamloops looks to curb an invasive beetle new to the city.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is expected to come down with additional rules for Kamloops like restricting the movement of plant material in at-risk areas.

“If left unmanaged, this pest can cause significant damage to parks, golf courses, gardens and crops,” a City staff report read.

The bug is destructive to many types of plants, especially agricultural crops, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has led the multi-agency effort to eradicate them since 2018 due to both environmental and economic risks.

The City responded with a pesticide treatment this spring at Exhibition Park, near downtown, after 11 beetles were found in the area. Federal regulators are expected to impose additional rules later this month, according to the staff report.

Movement certificates from the federal regulator are needed before certain outdoor plants, including grasses and potted shrubs, can be taken from certain regulated areas in Vancouver, Burnaby and Port Coquitlam.

Once the local boundaries are decided, the same will apply for Kamloops. The rules won’t effect organic cart pickups, according to the report.

While the City funds more pesticide treatments for the area, the federal regulator will monitor beetles in the area. If zero beetles are found for two consecutive years, the regulator will back off, according to the report.

Japanese beetles have been in North America for more than a century, but they were largely a problem on the East coast. They were first spotted in Vancouver in 2017 before spreading throughout the region.

More than 8,000 were found in Vancouver in 2018, but by 2024 there were none due to the heavy eradication effort, according to Gail Wallin, executive director of the BC Invasive Species Council.

In a letter to Kamloops city council, she stressed the importance of ridding BC of the beetle and the risk it could pose.

“The establishment of Japanes beetle has the potential to cause significant harm to BC’s diverse agricultural sector and considerable damage to lawns, landscaps, golf courses, parks and environment,” she said.

The City spent $15,000 for its first pesticide 5.4-hectare treatment at Exhibition Park, but staff are eyeing a $200,000 cost to continue the work, expecting to revisit the cost next year.

The pesticide used, Acelepryn, is also safe for people, animals and pollinators, according to the report.

More information about the federal response to the invasive beetle can be found here.