Anybody have any surefire ways to combat japanese beetles?
Question:
Answers:
The pheromone bags do kill a lot of beetles, but they also attract a lot of Japanese Beetles to your yard. In fact they attract more beetles than your plants do. If you use the bags, place them as far from your plants as possible. They may reduce the number of adult beetles on your plants, but they will not eliminate them.
Sevin is a chemical insecticide that is very effective, but be careful it is deadly to bees. The EPA has removed Diazinon from the market place in the US.
Imidacloprid works on the grubs (Merit) and on the adults (Bayer Advanced Rose & Shrub Care). Bayer Advanced Rose & Shrub Care is an interesting product because its a systemic. Water the roots with this prouct 1st. week of May & the plant translocates it to the leaves by July. Only the bugs eating leaves of your protected plants are affected.
The botanicals like Neem, Rotenone, and pyrethrins are naturally occurring insecticides found in plants. They are certified for organic gardening provided you follow the labeled instructions. They are not as effective as the chemical insecticides. The pyrethrins are primarily contact sprays.
You can always hand pick and place in soapy water or cover your plants with a floating row cover or mesh/netting to keep the Japanese Beetle off your plants.
Lady bugs and lacewings are totally ineffective on hardbodied beetles like the Japanese Beetle, though they do like softbodied insects like aphids. There is no guarantee that benefitial insects will stay put in your garden.
Japanese Beetle grubs in your lawn can be controlled with Imidacloprid (Merit), Milky spore or nematodes. Grub control will not remove the adult from your landscape. Adults can fly up to two miles per day.
A japanese bettle trap is the best I have found. You can get one at lowe's , walmart, etc.
Some pesticides do work, but I prefer not to use them, especially in or around the garden.
karate
My experience has been that you don't want to buy a trap because all it does is attract them to your yard. So hope that your neighbors buy a trap and that will reduce the number that are in your yard.
I know there are insecticides you can use (but I don't like to) or some people say to knock them off the shrub or flower into a tub of soapy water so they drown. I really don't know that there's much you can do but wait them out unfortunately. Good luck.
Yes they are a problem, we are using liquid sevin it comes in a concentrate, or garden hose adapter, buy some fast selling out here in Illinois (local Ace Stores should have some)
You can buy praying mantis in a garden supply store, they feed on them or use a home made mix to spray the plants.
I use 4 cups of water, 1 spoonful of Epsom salt and 1 spoonful of dish washing soap. Spray once a week, at sundown or when the sun is not too strong.
The formula was given to me by a gardener.
If they're on hard surfaces & sturdy shrubs...you could vaccuum them up. That's effective & non-poisonous, too.
When I don't have a spray handy I flick them into a bowl of soapy or oily water.
Another procedure is to spray a mixture of 1 tablespoon isopropyl alcohol to a pint of pyrethrin mixture. Don't use in full sun or high temperatures because that's when they can burn or stress plants. Try to aim for the beetles.
Long-term prevention for Japanese Beetles is biological controls such as beneficial nematodes or a product called "milky spore," which attack the grubs, and prevent recurrence for years. This explains how it works:
http://homeharvest.com/milkspore.html...
.
Rotenone, Pyrethrum, Diazinon and Sevin sprays are also effective against adult beetles. The last two are strong poisons.
"Traps will attract large numbers of beetles...but the consensus is that they just bring more beetles to YOUR property, as the sexual/floral lures used in these traps travel great distances." If your neighbors have them, then they'll go to them. LOL
Take advantage of the biological control already taking place in your garden by encouraging & protecting natural predators, such as preying mantises, ladybugs, & lacewings.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
I agree with the person that responded about the beetle trap. The key to that is that you must keep the trap the distance that the trap says away from affected plants. The trap is interesting since it uses pheromones to attract the beetles then they fall into the bag below. Be prepare to replace the bag often if you are really infested. Good Luck! Off to the store to buy a trap for myself.
More Related Questions & Answers...