About the Plant

• As a native of tropical Africa, the castor bean plant features tall stalks and bold foliage. The plant produces toxic proteins, called ricin, that adults, animals and insects find highly poisonous.
  
  

Japanese Beetles

• One beetle in particular, the Japanese beetle, causes lots of damage to foliage of ornamental plants. Adult Japanese beetles eat more than 300 types of plants, including castor bean plants. The beetle's larvae also cause problems in the soil where the growing larvae chew on grass roots until they leave the soil and fly to nearby plants.
  
  

Natural Control

• Castor bean leaves are poisonous to people, pets and Japanese beetles, making them ideal as a natural beetle control. If the beetles eat any of the plant's leaves, they die. In some gardens where the beetles cause major problems, gardeners include plants such as castor beans, four o'clocks and larkspur that feature leaves and flowers that attract and poison the adult beetles.