A Japanese beetle sits on a leaf. (A Hermit / Flickr)

Japanese beetles have invaded Canyon County. Well, at least one small residential area of Caldwell and the Idaho Department of Agriculture is working to eliminate these nasty pests.

They haven’t found very many beetles yet, but the bugs are a danger to some of Idaho's top crops including hops, grapes, apples and vegetable seeds. And the potential for lost crops, especially if other states and countries quarantine those crops, could result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.

So what are these bugs? And how are officials fighting them?

Andrea Thompson, the department's plant industries division administrator, joined Idaho Matters to help answer these questions.