Reports have been coming in over the last week that Japanese beetles are now active. Soon their feeding will be evident. If you find Japanese beetles in your yard or garden, do you know how you will manage them? Inspect early, inspect often The first step in management is early detection; the sooner you find them feeding, the quicker you can deal with them and minimize their damage. Be sure to check regularly. You may not see any right away but don’t let your guard down, they could come later. Japanese beetles hatch during July and are active through August Japanese beetle and skeletonizing damage. Photo: Jeff Hahn, UMN Extension By minimizing plant damage, you also reduce the number of beetles attracted to your garden and yard. As beetles feed, the damaged leaves put out a volatile, which attracts more beetles causing them to gather in groups to munch on your plants. Inspect your plants, especially if Japanese beetles damaged them the last few summers. But don