EPPO Global Database

Popillia japonica(POPIJA)

Distribution details in Germany

Situation
Current pest situation evaluated by EPPO on the basis of information dated 2025: Present, few occurrences
Pest status declared by NPPO: Absent, intercepted only (2024-08)
Comments
EPPO Reporting Service (2021/007) : detected in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2014 by an amateur entomologist, and in 2018 near Oberstdorf in Bavaria. Official surveys for 2 years in these areas did not detect the pest. Records considered unreliable.

EPPO Reporting Service (2022/010) : trapped in November 2021 in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Not considered established.

EPPO Reporting Service (2022/165) : 1 specimen caught in 2 traps in Baden-Wuerttemberg. An intensive survey is conducted.

NPPO (2023): 2 beetle caught in traps in the same area in Baden-Wuerttemberg in July and Septembe 2023. Not considered established.

NPPO (2024): 4 beetles caught in traps in the same area in Baden-Wuerttemberg. Not considered established.

EPPO Reporting Service (2025/192) : beetles caught and demarcated area established in Baden-Wuerttemberg. One beetle found in Bavaria, one beetle in Brandenberg and five beetles in Hessen in 2025.
References
* Baufeld P, Schaarschmidt R (2020) Der Japankäfer (Popillia japonica) – ein Schädling mit großem pflanzengesundheitlichen Risikopotential für Deutschland und Europa. Journal für Kulturpflanzen, 72 (8). S. 440–446, DOI: 10.5073/JfK.2020.08.15 (in German with English summary)

* NPPO of Germany (2020-12, 2021-11, 2022-07, 2022-08, 2023-09, 2024-08).

* Urban P (2018) [Discovery of the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica (Newman, 1841) near Paderborn (North Rhine-Westphalia) – first record for Germany]. Mitteilungen der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Westfälischer Entomologen 34(1), 21-24 (in German).

* Urban P, Schulze W, Zorn C (2019) Ein Fund des Japankäfers Popillia japonica Newman, 1838 in Bayern mit Anmerkungen zum Auftreten in Europa (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Nachrichtenblatt der Bayerischen Entomologen 68(3/4), 117-119 (in German).
Situation in neighbouring countries
Country State Status
Austria Absent, intercepted only view...
Belgium Absent, confirmed by survey view...
France Transient view...
Netherlands Absent, confirmed by survey view...
Switzerland Present, restricted distribution view...