More money needed for fight against two invasive bugs, WA agriculture department says
Washington’s agriculture department is seeking more than $13 million to deal with a pair of invasive insects that can destroy and damage a variety of plants, crops and trees.
The Department of Agriculture submitted a 2026 supplemental budget request to the governor’s office earlier this month, asking for $12.3 million to backfill state funding for its Japanese beetle eradication plan.
The plan was partially funded in the current two-year budget, but this funding only allows the department to treat 500 of 11,800 acres infested with the beetle.
Japanese beetles were first detected in Grandview, Washington, in 2020. The beetle now infests much of south central Washington and the SeaTac area, with a total of 51,065 beetles trapped statewide so far this year.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/10/02/more-money-needed-for-fight-against-two-invasive-bugs-wa-agriculture-department-says/