A natural way to kill Japanese beetles?
Question:Does anyone know a natural way to kill Japanese beetles? I do not like to use pesticides because I have children and pets but these beetles are really taking a toll on my hollyhocks.
Answers:
In addition to the bags, you can also pick them off the plants and toss them into soapy water. They will drown, and just discard the soapy water and dead beetles when you're done.
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Those Bag'a'Bug things. You hang them in your yard and the beetles are attracted into them but cannot crawl back out. They work wonders. Stores like Wal-mart carry them.
Go to a garden shop or Hardware store and take a look at the "Beetle Bags" - they are a trap type device that attracts them away from your plants. Place 2 or 3 in your yard "Down Wind" from the plants to attract and trap the pesky beetles. When the trap is full dump it in a trash bag.
smash and bash those pesty bugs! Actually, i like to suck them up with a vacuum cleaner.
The University of Arkansas recommends the following: “For organic growers, Rotenone and pyrethrins provide some benefit, but they are not highly effective...“
Neem, an extract from the seeds of a tropical tree comes in two formulations: extract and oil. The extract's active ingredient is azadirachtin, which repels some insects, suppresses feeding, disrupts mating, and kills a wide range of insects including aphids, Japanese beetles, and leafhoppers.
Clemson University suggests : "Beauvaria bassiana." This common soil fungus has a broad host range that includes many beetles and fire ants. It infects both larvae and adults of many species. One or more companies currently are developing preparations of this fungus for EPA registration. Botanigard (Beauveria bassiana) is being used effectively on whiteflies in greenhouses. Research is currently being conducted for its use on a broader range of garden insects.
The advocacy of garlic oil as a natural Japanese Beetle repellent is based on questionable data at best. I can find no credible scientific evidence in support of these claims nor do the people who advocate such a control method provide credible scientific source(s) to backup their claims. In fact, I can only find information in the university extension services questioning or disproving the efficacy of garlic oil. As an example, Cornell University's web site published results of a study involving the use of Garlic Oil sprays on apple crops. Their conclusion is as follows:
…”Results showed that the garlic spray applied at a rate of 11 oz/A did not provide control of any of the labeled apple arthropod pests in N.Y. and did not affect the population density of two predator species commonly found in apples. The foliar pests - aphids, leafminers and mites - were unaffected by the garlic sprays. The fruit pests - plum curculio, tarnished plant bug, obliquebanded leafroller and internal lepidopterans - were also not affected by the biweekly sprays.”
The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service writes: ...”Repellent sprays, such as garlic sprays and bug sprays (made from a puree of bugs), have been found useful by some gardeners, but their effectiveness is questionable.”
Last week a homeowner tried the garlic home remedy and here is what she had to say: “The garlic spray did not help at all. If I open a door or window, the overpowering smell of garlic comes into my house. Everywhere in my yard smells like garlic and the beetles are still there. I came out this morning and some of them where hanging out on chunks of garlic. It didn’t phase them one bit.” http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...
The following is a reprint from Michigan State University: “The major problem caused by adult Japanese beetle in the home setting is the feeding on ornamental plants. Sevin (carbaryl) and Malathion (acephate) are available for over the counter purchase by the general public. Unfortunately, in heavy infestations it may be necessary to treat sensitive plants on a 5-7 day schedule in July and early August. Follow the label instructions for rates as using more than what the label calls for can cause damage to the plants.”
I personally use Bayer Advanced Rose & Shrub Care. This is a systemic insecticide that is applied around May 1st. as a root drench. The roots absorb the active ingredient (Imidacloprid) and translocate it to the leaves. It takes two months to move the Imidacloprid to the leaf which is why you apply this in May. Once translocated to the leaf, it only kills those insects that consume your shrub's leaves. There is no powder or spray on the leaves to affect your pets or children.
The University of Illinois Extension Service has reported some interesting findings. If you can prevent Japanese Beetles from consuming your shrubs in the first wave, they basically leave your plants alone for the rest of the season. It seems that they like to feed on shrubs already damaged by other Japanese Beetles. So take a stand against the first wave and then back off of your pesticide use.
The pheromone bags do attract a lot of Japanese Beetles to your yard. In fact they attract more beetles than your plants do. They do kill a lot of beetles, but they will never be an effective control for your ornamental plants. The North Carolina Cooperative Services says: "Pheromone and light traps have not shown to be effective at reducing larval populations significantly."
Completely safe way to remove Japanese Beetles but a whole lot of work and you can't be there 24 x 7 - hand pick or vacuum them off your plants.
Bees recently have been disappearing in the US in large numbers. The reason for this has not yet been established. Sevin is deadly to bees and may not be the best solution for hollyhocks, but one can not implicate Sevin as the prime culprit yet. In fact it has been suggested that bees are dissappearing in large numbers because of cell phone towers. Should we all stop using cell phones now (especially while driving if we want to talk about real risks)? Don't get emotional, get informed. I provided the above list not as an advocate but so that you can make an informed decision. Neem, Rotenone and pyrethrum (contact) are all plant derived, natural insecticides used in organic farms. They are not as effective on Japanese Beetles as Sevin, therefore, you need to use more of these products. That has been the knock on the botanicals- their efficacy is not as good as the synthetics. Beauvaria bassiana is a natural insecticide (much like Bt) that warrants serious consideration. The pheromone bags can never elliminate Japanese Beetles from your ornamentals. If you can tolerate only a reduction in the numbers of beetles on your ornamentals, then use the bags. In fact, if you use the bags, place them as far from your hollyhocks as possible. Even better, buy the bags and give them to your neighbors. The larger the community of bag users, the better its control.
For the love of anything you care about STAY AWAY FROM SEVIN AND ALL THOSE CHEMICALS QUOTED ABOVE!
Bees are vanishing in some areas and it is suspected that poisons are the reason why. When it rains, those nasty things go into the aquifers and end up in our rivers and lakes. Please, always choose organic remedies!
Spectracide makes an awesome bag with pheromone called "Bag-a-Bug." It works awesome as a trap. It does not trap tehm all, true, but in my garden I have way more bugs trapped in there than on my plants!
Another alternative is to squish the bugs you see between the leaves, and *leave them there.* The bugs actually fly away from the smell of their dead, until teh leaves are washed by the rain.
Whatever you do, don't get those beetle bags. THey only sttract more beetles to your yard. I use warm soapy water. Just fill a container with the soapy water ( I use liquid dish detergent ) it doesn't matter so much about the ratio of water and soap but use enough soap to get some suds going. Then take your container of soapy water to your Hollyhocks and start knocking those little buggers off the plant into the water. They will drown. I leave them in the water overnight to be sure they are dead and then toss the water out into the woods the next day.
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