The City of Kamloops is looking for a contractor that can help eradicate Japanese beetle from public sites affected by the insect — including a downtown area near River Street. The destructive beetle, which feeds on 300 different species of plants — including flowers, turf, and fruit-bearing plants — was detected in Kamloops last year. Up until then, the beetle had only been found in Vancouver and a few other Lower Mainland cities. The City of Kamloops has posted a request for proposals seeking licensed proponents who can apply larvicide to turf in an area estimated to be a little more than five hectares. The site identified for treatment is centred around Exhibition Park, located at 1055 River St. “We need somebody to assist with the spraying that will occur on public lands for the Japanese beetle,” said Greg Wightman, City of Kamloops utility and environmental services divisional manager. Wightman said the City of Kamloops has received its finalized notice to treat from the province, which requires the city to take these measures to target the beetle. Working to contain bug In January, after hearing an invasive insect had been discovered, city council approved a $200,000 budget for requirements that might be enacted in Kamloops. “The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food is leading a coordinated effort to eradicate this invasive species due to its potential to decimate urban green spaces, golf courses, the nursery industry and vital food crops such as berries, field crops and tree fruits,” the RFP reads. “To control its spread, treating turf grass in areas where the Japanese beetle has been detected is the recommended method of control by the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food.” The RFP noted the province will be providing the required Acelepryn for the treatment. The Health Canada-registered larvicide is applied to turf to target the beetle at its larval stage, according to a ministry information sheet. “All staff delivering service must be professionally trained and certified in using larvicides within 10 metres of a watercourse,” the RFP reads. The contractor is responsible for setting up pesticide use notices, while the city will install fencing or flagging tape around treated areas if needed. No airplanes this time The RFP notes additional treatments may be needed if more beetles are detected outside the initial River Street area. Wightman said he can’t say for sure exactly how yet-to-be selected contractor will apply the larvicide, but likely hand spraying or other targeted methods will be employed — not a “blanket approach” like what was seen last summer when small aircraft sprayed for an invasive moth species. He said the municipality is still awaiting final instructions from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency which will lay out a regulated area — a boundary where certain requirements will be imposed around moving items like plants containing soil material. “There'll be requirements around moving that sort of stuff inside and outside of that regulated area, but we just don't have that regulated area established yet, or all the requirements that'll be within that regulated area,” Wightman said. He said the city continues to take part in regular meetings with other municipalities as well as federal and provincial agencies regarding Japanese beetle response.