The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) has been an established pest in the northern and Midwestern US for many years, but it is a relatively new pest in Arkansas. Little has been studied on its biology in southern states of the US. Environmental conditions (temperature and precipitation), turf varieties, and soil types in Northwest Arkansas differ from the areas where most Japanese beetle research has been conducted. Furthermore, little work has been done on young Japanese beetle larvae. We investigated the effects of five species of entomopathogenic nematodes on survival of early-instar Japanese beetles. Preliminary results indicate that first instars were infected by nematodes, suggesting their potential as biological control agents against young Japanese beetle larvae.