Ridding Jap. Beetles

Any one have the answer to getting rid of the Japanese Beetles? My rose blooms are loaded with them.

Sevin spray kills them instantly. Do you feed your birds? I don't know if it's a coincidence but I haven't had any since I started feeding my birds.

For some reason, this did not show up on the front of Dave's Garden. I just happened onto it while I was looking for Chigger Control.
I feed my birds every day. I have about 20 Purple Martins very near the Purple Martin houses. I have bluebirds, robins, mockers, woodpeckers and others. From my research, robins and grackles will eat the grubs, but I haven't found any predators that will take on the adults.
Thanks for responding.

Maybe they left my area on their own. Years ago I had zillions of them.

Boy, that would be great. This is the third summer I have had them. It gets worse each year.

birder17, we've had very much luck with the use of 'milky spore' a biological agent that rid the grubs before they pupated. I don't see many thing that find the adult beetles pallatible yet myself. I won't use chemical on them for fear I'll poison the birds and butterflies as well.

Yea, Sevin would kill any beneficials also. But what about Bonide systemic granules? You apply it to the root area and water it in. The roots soak it up and anything that eats on the plant dies. That wouldn't harm anything I can think of.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2011 4:24 PM

We put milky spore on last year, but I don't see any positive results yet. I am hoping they will soon get control of these bugs. I wonder if I should put Milky Spore on again?

I don't know anything about Bonide. I will look into this product.

From what I've read milky spore is only good if everyone in your neighborhood uses it also.

birder, I usually bring out my Bonide SG when pillbugs eat my struggling new hostas and I use it on a few other things like Heucheras, misc. natives, etc. when I notice insect damage. I've had it work well for leaf miners on Columbines also.
You should be able to find it locally. I get mine at a local garden center.

Well, that will never happen. Very few neighbors have flowers and no roses. They like their lawns and meatball shrubs!!

Edited to say this is regarding everyone using the milky spore.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2011 4:30 PM

Yes, milky spore works in cycle. Aiming at treating the ground to get to the grubs stage. The initial treatment. I patiently hand pick those boogers (adult beetles) and drop them in soapy buckets. The beetles appear around 3rd week of May in my garden each year. So far this year, I can count them on my finger tips. :))

birder, I usually bring out my Bonide SG when pillbugs eat my struggling new hostas and I use it on a few other things like Heucheras, misc. natives, etc. when I notice insect damage. I've had it work well for leaf miners on Columbines also.
You should be able to find it locally. I get mine at a local garden center.

http://www.bonideproducts.com/lbonide/backlabels/l952.pdf

As you can see, JBs are listed.

edit to add:
It may cost a small fortune depending on how many and how big your plants are.

This message was edited Jun 30, 2011 4:32 PM

I will check into this. Do you think Lowe's would have it? That is where I usually get my "stuff". I will call them.

Lily, I dropped JB into cans of oil and water last summer. It was gross. I dumped them down the garbage disposal. This year, I have sort of given up--there's so many.

My Lowes doesn't carry it. Nor does Home Depot. I would check locally run garden centers and the farmers co-op. You can always order it online if all else fails.

I also forgot that pheromone traps will catch them by the hundreds but it also pulls in JBs that otherwise wouldn't come to your garden. Mixed blessing I suppose.

There's a pretty good garden center near me. They probably will have it.

I have looked into the traps and from my research, it seems it is not that helpful. Heck, we are already plagued with them. I have 14 rose bushes. I suppose if I do this to the roses, they will find something else to eat. I have read they destroy a lot of different plants. They like my roses best. I have read they like Crepe Myrtles also.

I have had them skeletonize Cherry and Plum trees.

What a blessing to be rid of them.

Amen.

Ugh! These Japanese Beetles are disgusting! I loathe anything that swarms like they do and they are eating up my plants. Birder and Wabbit, I have all the plants you mentioned that they love: roses, crape myrtles and plums (which I planted my first year gardening, not even knowing what JB's were!) Last year, I noticed many dead JB's around my potted geraniums and then, this year, I read that it is believed geraniums are toxic to JBs and they are trying to come up with a way to use it against them. This year, I planted a few more geraniums than usual, and while there aren't enough to totally keep them away from my other plants, I take great delight in seeing the remains of the JB's around my geraniums every day! I too, go out and dunk them into buckets of soapy water daily. But, ewww, it's gross!

Jen, it's awesome to know geraniums are toxic to those critters. Thanks for sharing the observation.

I think I will buy some geraniums! They probably have them on sale by now. I have several on the opposite side of the house from my roses but don't see any dead J.B. I am sure hoping they find something organic for these pests. In the last two days, I have probably killed 500. It seems you get rid of a bunch and more come. I don't dead head the roses as I feel it is just for the bugs. Now, they are desiccating the leaves.

birder17, milkyspore worked well for me. I've seen a few this year. Now I don't any. I've all the plants that they love to munch on such as roses and like. Oh I also remember. a plant called 4 o'clock is also toxic to JBs. I have some of those in the garden but not geraniums.

Oh, one good note. For every beetle you rid off, there are roughly 50 offspring that you eliminated for the future cycle. You've done well.

One thing to keep in mind about milky spore--it kills the larvae not the adults, so look at it as a tool to help with future beetles vs something that'll take care of the adults that are already around.

Milky Spore will deal with grubs and needs to be used for 3 years to build up the spore level. Plant some 4 o clocks as the beetles love them and they are toxic to them. Some say that after you fill a container with soapy water and add 10 or more beetles to it, you let it ferment a few days and then place it close to the plants that you want to protect, that it will repel the bugs. It does stink and repels people too. Another option is to boil grapefruit skin until it is soft. Strain the liquid and spray on the plants. It will not kill the beetles but it will repel them. Has anyone tried diatom powder?

MissS, everyone that really need to rid off this pest needs to read your post. I used milky spore and it's in the middle of summer and there is no beetles. I found a few in late May, but that was it. I also have 4 o'clock planted in one corner of the garden.

Aren't Japanese beetles adult grubs? When I first moved into my house, 1998, I had grubs and Jap beetles. I started to spread grub killer every May and I never have a problem. It's not organic but I also don't have Jap beetles.

Here are my concerns:
Turgid, I don't want to use grub killer in the soil because I think it kills other good stuff in healthy soil.
I have heard that four o'clocks are quite agressive and will take over a garden?
I was told by a guy at the local garden center one has to put milky spore down three times per season. On the other hand, I have read on the website you only have to put it down once, but it takes three years for it to be effective.
Lately, I have been using dish soap in water. I think it works better than the oil and water.
We've got "feel like" 100 degrees here today. It's tough to get the beetles in this weather. Whine!
Thanks every one for your suggestions.

The milky spore is more selective--I don't think it kills any good things in the ground, just the bad grubs so you can feel good about using it. 4 o'clocks can be aggressive, but I think they're typically only a problem in climates with warmer winters than yours.

So, how many times should one put milky spore down?

I put down MS about 4 years ago in August, they tapered significantly the next year and have not seen a single one in my garden this year.. I think it builds up in the soil. I was desperate before. The grass in several parts of my yard was destroyed by the little buggers, not to mention the horrible things it did to my rose, lindens, hibiscuses and if you can imagine, oakleaf hydrangeas and bayberries! Yes, they chewed bayberries.

But you have to put it down properly. I took a teaspoon and stepped around the yard. If you use the powder you can see where you have been. And then you either have to water it in or lay it down in advance of a good rainfall.

And none of my neighbors used it. The linden next door (I have two) was almost defoliated by them, while mine looked lush. So I think that if you alone use it (the neighbors property is only ten feet away) it will help you.

But again, put it down at the right time, follow the directions for putting it down, and water it in promptly.

Final note, don't bother with the tube applicator. It doesn't help you.

Like DonnaM. I've great result with MS. Can't praise its effectiveness enough. One thing with using them, it's costly but worth every penny invested in the long run when use properly like all the comments has set forth from this thread. I'll gracefully sign off here. Happy gardening everyone. Bye bye.

Today I was eye-witness to a male Scrub Jay catching --and recatching-- a June bug, and eventually swallowing it. He was *very determined* to eat that buzzing snack!

Milky Spore is a fungal type disease present in Japanese soil. For a while there was a problem with product being sold without any spores in it. Evidently you all have had good stuff. It grows by infecting the grubs and spreading thru the dirt to find more yummy grubs. It does take several years for it to inoculate all of your soil. Sevin and other pesticides in the lawn do kill beneficials and worms. I have grapes and was using 5% Rotonone powder- a plant from the jungle- until I ran out and now use a liquid product with Pyrthrin (Crhysanthamums) added- Both are organic- on all my flowers and fruit and veggies. Bug the Bugs

DRY Food Grade (non-crystalized) Diatoameous earth scratches the outer shells of insects, allowing them to 'dry to death'. It does not differentiate between 'good' & 'bad' insects, though. How fast it works depends on how dry the environment is where it is used. It can be put in 'puffer' bottles & puffed onto wherever:

"Diatomaceous Earth: A Non Toxic Pesticide"
- by Professor Stuart B. Hill,
Department of Entomology & Ecological Agriculture Projects
http://eap.mcgill.ca/publications/eap4.htm

"...Whereas with a contact pesticide the insect dies quite quickly, with DE control may take several days. The more important difference is that the effect of the protection provided by the chemical is short-lived, whereas DE will control the pests as long as the powder remains. In this respect DE is an ideal pesticide; it is residual but nontoxic...

"Because DE is made of silica, people sometimes mistakenly think that DE causes silicosis. As indicated above, however, pesticide quality DE is usually over 97 per cent amorphous silica, which does not cause silicosis (which is associated only with crystalline silica).

"Indeed, inhalation of road dust and grain dust IS likely to be more harmful than DE..."


Since the soapy water is working well in buckets, have you thought of trying squirting them with it, instead? I know I've killed flies with soapy water that had tea tree oil in the dish soap I was using! And I don't think that would have much residual effect, especially compared to the DE!

I have read about the Pyrithin. I can't remember if it works on Japanese Beetles or not. I will research it again.

June Bugs are quite different than Japanese Beetles. We have few June Bugs.

I have be on vacation so I haven't been after the beetles lately. Most of my roses have quit blooming. I haven't dead headed them on purpose.

Maybe the Milky Spore I put down wasn't any good. We purchased it from the local Co-Op. Where are you getting your Milky Spore? I think I will try to put some more down in August which is when the bugs lay their eggs for larvae or grubs. If I have to order it, I need to get going on it.

I don't think the spraying with soapy water would have much affect on them. When I knock them off the rose buds and into my soapy water, they swim around. Yuck!

Does one put the D. E. on the leaves and buds of the roses? We have little wind and less rain, so maybe that would work if one puts on the plants.