Japanese beetle

6497.  Hi, I’ve seen these insects on a few occasions this July. They appear to be a type of beetle and they can vary in colour: another I saw had an almost metallic orange colour. I’ve only ever seen them in hot weather and they seem to like carcasses as I saw several on a rat corpse when I was walking my dog. Toronto, Ontario. Canada

Number 6497.  This is a Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), an introduced species that has become a very serious pest. Click here for detailed information.