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- Nov 6, 2007
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I got back from a trip to PA this weekend and saw a swarm of bugs around my hop garden and plum tree. At a closer look I come to find that the Japanese beetles have infested my hop plant and plum tree down to almost nothing. Oh Sh**! not my Hops! There were hundreds of beetles eating and mating on my plants. My deck was covered in beetle poo and plant material they didnt want to eat. It was a disgusting sight!
I ran to the hardware store as fast as I could to purchase some weapons to fight the infestation. Every minute counts. I came home with Seven ( powder insect killer for vegetable gardens) and some off brand sprayer you attach to your garden hose. They both claim to kill bugs in minutes. I wasnt happy about putting chemicals on my hops, however I had no choice.
Operation Hop freedom was in full force. Up went the ladder and out came the white powder onto the hop plants. Minutes later, phase two. I attached the sprayer to my hose and attacked the plum tree. The Japanese Beetles were surprised. Their counter attack was total chaos! They had no idea what hit them. Within minutes they started falling out of the hop and plum tree by the hundreds. There were Japanese Beetles bodies everywhere. I knew cleanup was going to be a mess but I think the hops will survive. The plum tree got hit badly, but I dont usually make beer out of plums. Or can I.
After it was all over I had only been hit a few times by kamikaze beetles. Damage was minimal. One did go down my shirt however. The next day the few remaining survivors did attack my basal plants just to piss me off. I powdered them too. I am not sure what to expect when I get home tonight.
Out of all this does anyone know what non chemical product I can put on my hop plants to stop this needless attack?
I ran to the hardware store as fast as I could to purchase some weapons to fight the infestation. Every minute counts. I came home with Seven ( powder insect killer for vegetable gardens) and some off brand sprayer you attach to your garden hose. They both claim to kill bugs in minutes. I wasnt happy about putting chemicals on my hops, however I had no choice.
Operation Hop freedom was in full force. Up went the ladder and out came the white powder onto the hop plants. Minutes later, phase two. I attached the sprayer to my hose and attacked the plum tree. The Japanese Beetles were surprised. Their counter attack was total chaos! They had no idea what hit them. Within minutes they started falling out of the hop and plum tree by the hundreds. There were Japanese Beetles bodies everywhere. I knew cleanup was going to be a mess but I think the hops will survive. The plum tree got hit badly, but I dont usually make beer out of plums. Or can I.
After it was all over I had only been hit a few times by kamikaze beetles. Damage was minimal. One did go down my shirt however. The next day the few remaining survivors did attack my basal plants just to piss me off. I powdered them too. I am not sure what to expect when I get home tonight.
Out of all this does anyone know what non chemical product I can put on my hop plants to stop this needless attack?