CEDAR RAPIDS -- A small little bug worked its way into Iowa a few years ago. Now, the city of Cedar Rapids says the pest has become a problem that everyone needs to help solve.

You can't see the little bugs right now, but gardening experts say Japanese Beetles are probably lurking under your lawn. In just a few weeks, they'll pop and start causing problems.

They look like harmless little creatures, but the insects love to devour roses, Linden trees and grape vines.

"They will skeletonize leaves. So, you'll see a series of leaves that have holes chewed in them with the veins left behind,” Cedar Rapids Arborist Matthew Nachtrieb said.

Gardening experts say the harsh winter may have already knocked out a bunch of the beetles.

"We'll just have to wait and see because we did have some pretty hard freezes,” Master Gardener Roger Strohbehn said.

But, Cedar Rapids' arborist says the pests are planning to come back next year with a vengeance. The damp ground we've had over the past few weeks creates a perfect incubator for the insects. So, he's asking everyone to consider using a product like milky spore.

"Kind of sprinkle on your yard like a lawn fertilizer or a weed and feed kind of product," Nachtrieb said.

The substance seeps into the ground and stops some of the critters from coming back next year. Milky spore and other products like this are more popular than ever at Peck's Flower and Garden shop.

"People are thinking about it. They're more on the ball this year than they have been in years past,” Peck’s Garden Center Manager Dawn Hobart said.

The battle of the bugs is far from over, but a few simple products will send a simple message to the beetles: back off.

The city wants everyone to work together to get rid of the beetles because the problem has become so widespread.

But, gardening experts say it will probably be impossible to banish the bugs forever.