Insect
Asiatic Garden Beetle
Maladera formosaeAsiatic garden beetles spend warm summer nights feeding heavily on over one hundred species of garden plants and flowers, leaving notched or shredded foliage behind. Adults hide underground near roots during daylight hours, emerging en masse after sunset where porch lights easily attract them. Below ground, their white C-shaped grubs chew through turf grass and crop roots before overwintering deep in the soil.
NocturnalGarden PestPhototactic
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyRose Leaves, Aster Petals, Turf Grass Roots
Predators
- Toads
- Insectivorous Birds
- Ground Beetles
ThreatsChemical pesticides, soil cultivation
HabitatsGardens, lawns, crop fields, suburban landscapes
Life span1 year
Classification
- OrderColeoptera
- FamilyScarabaeidae
- GenusMaladera
- SpeciesMaladera formosae
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Nighttime Observation: Check outdoor porch lights after dusk in midsummer to spot adults gathering.
- Garden Inspection: Look for ragged, chewed leaves on host plants like asters, roses, and basil.
- Managing Lights: Turn off outdoor fixtures during peak adult emergence in July to reduce swarms.
Garden Competitor no rights reserved, uploaded by bgirardot · cc0
Turf Competitor Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
Co-Occurring Pest (c) Chris Ratzlaff, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Chris Ratzlaff · cc-by
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