Japanese Beetle Report - Page 2

**Christer** · 07-15-2011, 05:32 PM

So, I had to stop lurking.... I do insect and disease control on big estates and see Jap beetle all the time . Previous posts were correct in saying that controlling the grubs in your turf does not necessarily mean no beetles, they can fly for miles. That being said if you know that you have jap beetles in your turf, milky spores will work if appplied on a misty cool day early in the spring. But milky spore only works on jap beetles and depending what part of the country you live in there are 10 to 30 different species of white grub that can damage your turf.

DO NOT USE PHEREMONE TRAPS! There is a bunch of university research backing this up, you attract more beetles than you catch.

Evening soapy bucket taps are just about the best you can do if you desire organic hops. They are a pretty tough insect and will laugh at most organic pesticides. Permethrin will work well but most formulations have an additive that is pretty nasty.. piperonalbutoxide I think is the name, so be cautions of insecticides labeled "natural" as most chrysanthemum (permethrin and pyrethrin) derivatives have piperonalbutoxide in them.

Jap beetle does have a pretty short flight time so unless they are skeletonizing more than 30 % of your leaves I would just leave them alone. Hops are tough vigorous plants and will shrug off a couple munched leaves and plow forward.

**Kaz** · 07-15-2011, 05:36 PM

Its not the munched leaves that bother me, they seem to be eating holes in my cones...that's war.

Reno_Raines · 07-15-2011, 07:15 PM

I have had Cascade and Mt. Hood for 3 years now and they have never taken even one bite out of them. The Chinook bine is 6ft away and they always destroy it. I go out with a bucket everyday and gather as many of them as I can and burn them. Also, there is some vine that grows in my yard that they may like even more than hops it has 5 leaves and is a pest that I must fight back every week or it will take over the place, I will post pics later.

**jamboparty** · 07-18-2011, 07:29 PM

To date, I've had 2 leaves from my Cascades fall victim to the beetles. For some reason, they haven't come back since I crushed those few buggers that I caught in the act. Not that I'm complaining!

Last year I had to rip my pole beans out of the garden because there were literally hundreds of beetles having a feast/orgy on them nightly. I tried nematodes early this spring, so I don't know if this made the difference (doubt it).

Mysticmead · 07-18-2011, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reno_Raines

I have had Cascade and Mt. Hood for 3 years now and they have never taken even one bite out of them. The Chinook bine is 6ft away and they always destroy it. I go out with a bucket everyday and gather as many of them as I can and burn them. Also, there is some vine that grows in my yard that they may like even more than hops it has 5 leaves and is a pest that I must fight back every week or it will take over the place, I will post pics later.

does the wild vine look like this? if so what is it and what will kill it.. it's taking over my yard.

Reno_Raines · 07-18-2011, 10:24 PM

Yes. That is the same stuff I have. The people I bought the house from 6 years ago actually planted it and were proud of it. I didn't know any better and also forgot the name. I just rip it out of the ground every few weeks, it grows faster that anything I have seen.

Sevin insecticide seems to work on Japanese Beetles, I used it extensively last year and there seem to be fewer beetles this year.

Mysticmead · 07-18-2011, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reno_Raines

Yes. That is the same stuff I have. The people I bought the house from 6 years ago actually planted it and were proud of it. I didn't know any better and also forgot the name. I just rip it out of the ground every few weeks, it grows faster that anything I have seen.

Sevin insecticide seems to work on Japanese Beetles, I used it extensively last year and there seem to be fewer beetles this year.

a friend of mine said it's called Virginia Creeper.. I call it a pain in the arse

Jagdad · 11-13-2011, 04:06 PM

It may sound odd, but I thought reviving this thread makes sense because fall is the best time to treat the soil for Jap beetle grubs. Most people only get concerned when they see the adults in June, but in reality the grubs are chewing the crap out of the roots now til summer. Just a friendly reminder - now is a good time to apply a grub control.

Also, I think using a trap plant (a plant they like to chew on even better than hops

) strategy, combined with soil treatments is the way to go.
Some plants I know they love are: grapes, Hardy hibiscus, Linden trees (basswood), Cherry trees, and Rose of Sharon. There has to be more - add to the list if you can.
The idea is to plant a couple of these target plants nearby. If you have prevailing winds in your area , put them downwind from the hops - because the beetles fly into the wind following scents and odors. This intercepts the beetles before they reach the hops. Treat these plants with Orthene Tree-n-Shrub spray on a regular schedule to kill them as they feed. This strategy doen't work 100%, but in areas with high populations of beetles, it makes a significant impact. Growers who are trying to grow organically are probably cringing right now, but you still are growing organic hops because you are not treating the hop plant itself. (For certified organic sites I know this is not an acceptable practice, but my point is to offer a working solution to an average homeowner whose hops are getting chewed to pieces each year

) I use this strategy with treated grape vines and Rose of Sharon in our commercial production and it works well. It only attracts beetles in the immediate area; not from the whole neighborhood like phermone traps do.