Japanese Beetles

[steelnut]

They are terrible this year at least in our area, much worse than prior years. Hubby got some spray last year that worked pretty well and we couldn't find it anywhere this year, so he just ordered some on-line. I was wondering if anyone knows of a home remedy? TIA

[Petee]

I still rely on the old-fashioned Beetle Traps, and every year I have fewer and fewer beetles.  Just place them well away from the plants you want to protect.  I also carry a trap or a bucket of soapy water around the yard and knock them off of the plant into the water.  I prefer to collect them in the trap.  I think the Rose Scented lure makes them less likely to fly away and I don't have to look at them later.

[steelnut]

3 minutes ago, Petee said:

I still rely on the old-fashioned Beetle Traps, and every year I have fewer and fewer beetles.  Just place them well away from the plants you want to protect.  I also carry a trap or a bucket of soapy water around the yard and knock them off of the plant into the water.  I prefer to collect them in the trap.  I think the Rose Scented lure makes them less likely to fly away and I don't have to look at them later.

We invested in the beetle traps a few years ago and unfortunately the infestation increased. Then we watched a gardening program that focused on beetles. The consensus was that beetle traps bring the beetles in, it's like a lure to them. We are really infested this year. Hubby's grapes, my peas, green and wax beans, our blueberries and we planted a new oak tree a couple of months ago and they are killing it. I just want to get rid of them

[Petee]

Yes, if you place the traps in the wrong location, it can bring your neighbors beetles right into your own garden.  You need to place them as far away from your garden as possible (within 100 feet or so in a circle so they are drawing them away from your garden.  Then patrol the center to make sure any wanderers are found and dispatched.  You want them caught and killed so they do not breed and lay eggs in your yard again.

As I said, I have fewer and fewer every year because they don't get a chance to dig into my soil and lay eggs for the next year.  I kill them by hand too.

I have two acres and I place a trap at each corner of the property.  They fill up with beetles that never make it to my garden.  The ones that do are caught by me in a trap that I carry around, but lots of people just knock them off of the trap into a bucket of soapy water.  Unfortunately when you knock them off into a bucket, they get the opportunity to get airborne again and escape.  

[lavender]

Seven dust works for me.  We have had fewer insects this year and no deer damage. (Knock on wood!) I don't know what is going on. I'm sure all the rain had something to do with it. Maybe this batch of deer don't like Asiatic and daylilies. 

[steelnut]

On 7/9/2018 at 9:01 AM, Petee said:

Yes, if you place the traps in the wrong location, it can bring your neighbors beetles right into your own garden.  You need to place them as far away from your garden as possible (within 100 feet or so in a circle so they are drawing them away from your garden.  Then patrol the center to make sure any wanderers are found and dispatched.  You want them caught and killed so they do not breed and lay eggs in your yard again.

As I said, I have fewer and fewer every year because they don't get a chance to dig into my soil and lay eggs for the next year.  I kill them by hand too.

I have two acres and I place a trap at each corner of the property.  They fill up with beetles that never make it to my garden.  The ones that do are caught by me in a trap that I carry around, but lots of people just knock them off of the trap into a bucket of soapy water.  Unfortunately when you knock them off into a bucket, they get the opportunity to get airborne again and escape.  

When we invested in the traps we placed them at the farthest end of our property which is five acres, it just brought them in like crazy!

[steelnut]

On 7/9/2018 at 2:00 PM, lavender said:

Seven dust works for me.  We have had fewer insects this year and no deer damage. (Knock on wood!) I don't know what is going on. I'm sure all the rain had something to do with it. Maybe this batch of deer don't like Asiatic and daylilies. 

We use Seven too, but this year it just wasn't working. Hubby got his spray yesterday and sprayed. I looked around this evening and all looks good. Fingers crossed

[Petee]

11 hours ago, steelnut said:

When we invested in the traps we placed them at the farthest end of our property which is five acres, it just brought them in like crazy!

You want to trap them and destroy the next year's crop of Japanese Beetles, but you have to patrol your crops daily because a few will always by-pass the traps or will hatch right out of your own lawn.  A few years of carefully tended traps will reduce your pests to almost nothing.  Non-food crops can be sprayed.  I take a trap with me and knock the few I do find right into the bag.

[Bon]

I have some on my rose bush. I also have the ducks swimming pool on the top of the steps landing. I filled the pool one day with fresh water & the next day I had these weird bugs in it. My hubby said those are Japanese Beetles with the color taken out of them from the water.

[lavender]

I've noticed that Japanese beetles drop when they feel threatened. I've caught a lot of them by putting a container pf soapy water under a branch and shaking it. They are perhaps dropping and hitting water instead of ground. How are the ducks fulfilling their roll of tick eliminators? Do they eat Japanese beetles as well? 

[Bon]

No ticks on the dogs at all. The ducks will NOT eat Japanese Beetles or gypsy moth worms!!

[Petee]

On 7/12/2018 at 9:21 PM, steelnut said:

When we invested in the traps we placed them at the farthest end of our property which is five acres, it just brought them in like crazy!

 

25 minutes ago, Bon said:

No ticks on the dogs at all. The ducks will NOT eat Japanese Beetles or gypsy moth worms!!

Weird ducks you have Bon!  I would tear a hole in the bottom of my traps and all the ducks came running for what dropped out.  Then I would tape it shut and use it again.

I don't have ducks anymore but I don't get many in the garden trap.  They usually go to the outers bags on the property.  Now I just put the trap under the Japanese Beetle and tap the leaf.  They fall off directly into the trap.  I think the go easier because they smell the lure.  I rarely lose one so there are fewer babies around next year.

[Petee]

This is a very comprehensive and well-explained article on how, when and why to deal with Japanese Beetles.  

http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/japanese-beetle-5-601/

I have very few but my traps are on the outer edges on my property and they go to them first.  If I notice any in the berry patch, then I will set one there, but I go through the patch daily and knock the few I find into another trap.  If they don't breed and escape, they can't lay eggs in the grass to cause dead spots and emerge next year.

You can use a spray on specific flowers or plant tips where you notice them congregating, or smash them with your fingers and smear them over the tips of the plants.  They can sense the dead bug and will avoid that area.  (Wash your hands!)    Just remember that if you have a well or use groundwater, the spray may come back to haunt you.

[lavender]

I put that crushed bug spray to the test about 10 years ago when it was a semi-popular theory.  I had a terrible infestation of striped squash bugs in the garden. Overcoming the ick factor I collected a handful of them. I tossed them in an old blender container with some water and gave it a whirl. I strained the resulting mess and sprayed it on the squash. The the other striped squash bugs loved it. They came from miles around apparently thinking it was a family reunion. The only think I can think of is that I released pheromones that were  very attractive. My conclusion was that hanging a dead coyote might frighten off his kin and hanging a dead crow may have a similar effect but squished bugs just attract more bugs. It's kind of like hanging a Japanese beetle trap among the roses.  

[steelnut]

4 hours ago, lavender said:

I put that crushed bug spray to the test about 10 years ago when it was a semi-popular theory.  I had a terrible infestation of striped squash bugs in the garden. Overcoming the ick factor I collected a handful of them. I tossed them in an old blender container with some water and gave it a whirl. I strained the resulting mess and sprayed it on the squash. The the other striped squash bugs loved it. They came from miles around apparently thinking it was a family reunion. The only think I can think of is that I released pheromones that were  very attractive. My conclusion was that hanging a dead coyote might frighten off his kin and hanging a dead crow may have a similar effect but squished bugs just attract more bugs. It's kind of like hanging a Japanese beetle trap among the roses.  

I agree. Years ago someone told hubby to keep the crows away from the fruit trees, to shoot one and let it lay in the tree area because they wouldn't come around a dead crow. Yeah right!!! That one dead carcass brought all of the crows in a ten mile radius right to us.

[Petee]

If you want a permanent solution to the Japanese Beetle problem, then order some Milky Spore and spread it in a thin layer over the proper footage.  It goes down into the root system, kills the larvae and then spreads out till it meets the edges of the other patches of Milky Spore.  It takes a year for it to completely spread but it works.  BT and Diatomaceous Earth can be spread also but will only work where you spread it.  If you get bare spots in the fall then spread the BT there.  The used Diatomaceous Earth from a pool can be spread out over all the lawn.  I will keep those in your lawn from growing but if the grass owning neighbors don't treat they can come from there.

Treat your own lawn, suggest it to the gardening neighbors who are probably already bugged, put up your traps downwind or around your property to trap zillions, and give your favorite plants a spray of BT.  It won't hurt the plants or your food.