Japanese Beetles

[DoubleAught]

I've apparently been invaded. I noticed some holes in my healthy leaves but didn't see what was causing it. My neighbor, an avid gardener with a huge plot, casually told me the other day the Japanese Beetles are back. Today I noticed 4 or 5 of them on my Zeus plant. I knocked them off and sprayed all the plants with neem oil.

Does anyone have any advice on deterring this buggers? I have neighbors on both sides with gardens, maybe I can just make their plants look more appetizing

 

[USAFSooner]

These work somewhat decently.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_93195-316-9...p&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=beetle+trap&facetInfo=

 

[USAFSooner]

Also, knocking them off into a pail of soapy water helps too. If I recall correctly they emit a pheremone when they are eating something they find yummy (like my rose bushes).

 

[DoubleAught]

I recently read about them and saw that they emit the pheromone, females also lay eggs around the plant every few days, craziness. I like the bag idea, I'll have to get a couple next time I'm in town. Thanks for the advice!

 

[ArrowheadHops]

stay on them with your neem oil and picking them off. They will call in friends when they find food (like hops) that they like.

 

[Indianhead_Brewer]

Good luck with dealing with the Japanese beetles. Fortunately this isn't a problem I've had to deal with yet. It seems as with any insect pest the only way to control them is persistence.

 

[Randy64]

Read up on using the bag traps. Seems they call the beetles in from everywhere making the problem worse. Or you could buy a trap for each of your neighbors and let them pull them away from your yard.

 

[GVH_Dan]

My wife has declared a personal war (jihad even) on Japanese beetles. Here's her results:

1st, traps only draw in more beetles. Hang them in the neighbor's yard at least 1/2 block away.

Once they are present on a plant, the best is to go out every morning and shake them into a soapy water bucket. Do the same at night. Cover them with neem or your favorite pesticide.

Give them a rose bush, cherry tree or similar plant that they prefer. Then you can attack them there before they get to your desirable plants.

Next spring, organize the neighborhood. Things like milk spore and any number of grub killers can be spread on the ground in late may, early june to kill the grubs. Then you disrupt the life cycle. But you have to get everyone to do it. If you just do your yard, the beetles will fly over from the neighbors.

The ULTIMATE solution we found is...skunks. Our first house had Japanese beetles on everything. One day, a family of a dozen skunks moved in. Within a month they had my lawn all tore up (naturally aerated) as they ate every last grub. 1/2 of them moved on, the other half found their way to the bottom of my garbage can but once they were gone, the beetles never returned. Of course, not everyone is willing to tolerate a family of skunks for a month or two.

 

[Indianhead_Brewer]

The ULTIMATE solution we found is...skunks.

Interesting note, but I guess not all that surprising considering the grubbing behavior of skunks. Up here in the Northwoods you know that the skunks are active when you start seeing depredated turtle nests dug up everywhere. Only problem is I've found that the skunks love to dig up freshly planted rhizomes too in their grubbing excursions. When I plant new rhizomes I usually have to go out every morning for a week or two to replant rhizomes that got dug up the night before.

 

[neo71665]

A-bomb works, so I hear and read