Evaluating sampling techniques for quantifying Asiatic garden beetle (Maladera formosae) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) infestations in commercial mint.

The Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera formosae Brenske (AGB), has become a significant pest of commercial mint fields in northern Indiana. Larval feeding on mint roots can cause stunted growth and plant death when densities are high. Sampling approaches that provide reliable estimates of larval densities in mint have not been established, leaving farmers without the knowledge necessary to implement integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.