Question
QUESTION: i live in KY.  it seems that i'm starting to find japanese beetles that are about the size of 3 put together.  what's happening?  why are they so big?  i've only found a handful of the large ones, but if this keeps up there's no telling how much damage.  i spray and i pick them off, but i can't keep up wit the normal ones, let alone larger ones.

ANSWER: The adult beetles eat the leaves and flowers of over 300 plants by eating the tissue between the veins, a type of feeding called skeletonizing. The larvae, called white grubs, feed on plant roots and organic matter in the soil, especially under turfgrass. This feeding may result in dead patches of turf that can be picked up like a loose carpet.
The adults are a brilliant metallic green, generally oval in outline, 3/8 inch (8 to 11 mm) long and 1/4 inch (5 to 7 mm) wide. The wing covers are a coppery color and the abdomen has a row of five tufts of white hairs on each side that are diagnostic. The adult beetles normally emerge during the last week of June through July. The first beetles out of the ground seek out suitable food plants and begin to feed.

The adults can be controlled by spraying susceptible plants with insecticides. Over-the-counter pesticides available for this include: acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), and several pyrethroids - bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin, and others. Applications of imidacloprid (=Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Concentrate) generally need to be made 20 days before anticipated Japanese beetle adult activity. During the heavy adult activity periods, sprays may be needed every 5 to 10 days.
Spray the foliage with the spray.


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QUESTION: but, WHT, am i seeing beetles that are 3 & 4 times the size of a normal one lately?

Answer
What plant are you finding these large beetles on? Insects feed on different plants and it is difficult to ID an insect without knowing the plant it is feeding on. There are 1,000's of beetles some feed on leaves, others on wood etc. Some complete their life cycle in the ground, others on the plant. What you are seeing as the large beetle maybe one of the white grub beetles that is kin to the Japanese beetle. If you have a picture you can send it to me at [email protected] and I will try to ID it for you or you could call the local office of the Agriculture extension Service and ask them to ID it. Here is a web link to their County offices.
 http://www.ca.uky.edu/county/