beetles?

Most of my 2nd year hops are up around 7 feet now, except my cascades, which have been getting eaten by something. Today I finally spotted them. The look to be tiny beetles? Anyone know? And how to get rid of them?

Those guys suck!

I absolutely prefer The Beatles.

Many bugs are regional specific. You may want to go to a local nursery or agricultural college.

kill'em quick. I lost everything to them last year.

They are Japanese beetles. They can be absolutely devastating in large numbers. The wikipedia article has some pointers for prevention and extermination. I will second the author's recommendation NOT to use pheromone traps as they attract way more beetles than they kill. Good luck!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

I kinda doubt if they're jap beetles as they're beginning to pupate right about now and won't emerge untii around mid to late june here in n.e. ohio. The 'bug doc' wouldn't lie: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2504.html

But you're right about the pheromone traps. Buy one, or two for that matter for your 'friend' down around the corner. It's the neighborly thing to do.

timOD,

I just saw this on page 49: http://www.usahops.org/userfiles/file/Research Reports & Presentations/HopHandbook2009.pdf

This page gives you an answer to the range of their distribution: http://www.simplykitchengarden.com/vegetablepests/11.html

This may or may not be the problem. Best to collect a few and look at some detailed photos of the critters to make a positive ID. Have fun hunting!

Good call on the Hop Flea Beetle. I jumped on the Japanese Beetle a little too quick (they are not even in their adult stage yet), probably because they are a giant pain in my butt.

I brought the pics to my local garden center today and they said it was a type of beetle they couldn't identify and suggested an organic bug spray - Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew. It had the word "brew" in the name, so I couldn't resist. Hopefully it works. Thanks for the suggestions all!

timOD said:

I brought the pics to my local garden center today and they said it was a type of beetle they couldn't identify and suggested an organic bug spray - Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew. It had the word "brew" in the name, so I couldn't resist. Hopefully it works. Thanks for the suggestions all!

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So..... Do you have to wash the hops when you harvest them, or does the organic part make it ok to harvest, dry and brew?

McCuckerson said:

So..... Do you have to wash the hops when you harvest them, or does the organic part make it ok to harvest, dry and brew?

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If I recall, the stuff says you can spray it on your vegetables right up until the day you harvest. So, while I'm not going to go spraying it in my mouth, I guess the whole "organic" nature of it makes it harmless.

timOD said:

I brought the pics to my local garden center today and they said it was a type of beetle they couldn't identify and suggested an organic bug spray - Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew. It had the word "brew" in the name, so I couldn't resist. Hopefully it works. Thanks for the suggestions all!

Click to expand...

I love how they recommended something to you without knowing what the pest was. I've run into people like that at my garden center, who will quickly give me something because either they are too prideful to admit they don't know, or are too lazy to care. The best thing to do is ask somebody else. Nothing's worse than paying for a product that isn't going to do the job, or buying a product that will kill a beneficial insect. I'm no expert gardener, but I can tell generally tell when somebody is feeding me a line...