Invasive Japanese beetle now also found in Bern and Köniz
Keystone-SDA
The invasive Japanese beetle has now spread to the Swiss capital, Bern and the town of Köniz. Canton Bern has ordered measures to prevent the pest from spreading further.
Listen to the article
Listening the article
Toggle language selector
English (US)
English (British)
Generated with artificial intelligence.
This content was published on
August 5, 2026 – 10:44
The Japanese beetle can cause considerable damage to the natural environment and to agriculture.
+ How Switzerland is battling invasive species
The measures imposed by the canton come into force with immediate effect in the outbreak area in the city of Bern and in Köniz, as well as in the surrounding buffer zones. A total of 21 municipalities are affected.
In Spiez, the canton had already imposed measures at the end of April, as it had in Oberaargau, where the municipalities of Wynau, Roggwil and Schwarzhäusern lie within the buffer zone of an outbreak area in the canton of Solothurn.
+ Lake invaders: alien shellfish trouble Swiss waters
Within the outbreak area, restrictions apply to the transport of garden waste, compost and topsoil. From mid-August, the municipalities will be using nematodes – threadworms that attack the larvae of the Japanese beetle – on irrigated sports pitches. These threadworms pose no danger to humans or animals.
Within the buffer zone, the transport of green waste is restricted.
At the end of June, several Japanese beetles were caught in traps near the Schönausteg in Bern. As a result, the Plant Protection Unit expanded its monitoring programme. The results have now confirmed that a population has established itself in this area.
Since the beginning of July, individual Japanese beetles have also been caught in monitoring traps in the Bernese Oberland. Investigations are now underway to determine how far the beetle has already spread. If a population is confirmed, measures will also be put in place in this area.
More
More
Demographics
Hunting down invasive plant species
This content was published on
May 22, 2019
Bern volunteers make war on invasive plants that threaten biodiversity.
Read more: Hunting down invasive plant species
+ How we produce English news
Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
Articles in this story