Grub season is upon us thanks to the Japanese Beetles

I have never used "Milky Spore", but even if it is effective in killing grubs, it still cannot kill adult beetles or prohibit the migration of adult beetles from neighboring yards and territories. They can still fly in and eat your flowers and vegetables at their own liberty...

I would consider it to be an effective product if it killed grubs that were infesting my yard or garden and causing excessive root damage.

If it killed 200 grubs in your lawn, that would be 200 less beetles chewing your plants.

what s milky spores,sorry french here.

thanks.

Check it out on Google . Apparently you spread it across your lawn and it builds a barrier of grub munching bacteria that will spread through your yard and neighbors. Fertilizers and pesticides do not deter the effects either.

Milky spores can take a few years to see results and only works on Japanese beetles, not the other white grubs that can be pests. Apply it now will not do much. The grubs need to be present, the adults are out now. Soon they will be laying their eggs and when the eggs have adsorbed enough moisture they will hatch.

Normally fall treatment is the ideal time to treat for Japanese beetles grubs, but it will control the grubs for the following year. For adults now, Neem works as a repellent on specimen plants but will not kill them.

There are other adulticides like Sevin (not organic) or rotenone (formulations can be organic) that can be used to control the adults.


Another alternative for control of the white grubs in the fall are beneficial nematodes. They will control a wider array of white grubs then milky spore.

I applied milky spore twice 2 years ago and once last year. I will apply it again this year. I buy the stuff that comes in a bag that can be used in a spreader. Do it when there is absolutely no wind.

It is best if neighbors do it to, but it still helps. I also apply heavily along the property line. It eventually will end up in the neighbor's lawn, because when the grubs eat this stuff, the spores multiply inside the grub. When the grub dies, it eventually bursts open from the increased spores. Then you have more spores! These eventually get to the neighbor's yard if you are patient. You can also toss a little over there (when neighbor is not looking ) Every little bit helps!

You can also educate your neighbors if the topic of Japanese beetles comes up. Sometimes they don't know what's eating their plants.

If you have a place at least an acre away from your garden, traps help too. Traps placed any closer will attract them to your garden and make the situation worse. I put one in a wooded lot at the end of our road - with permission of the owner. I still have beetles, but about half as many as last year. I'm hoping that each year will improve.

Thanks to all . Sounds like I may have made my situation worse by adding more traps this year. Neighbors who didnt have traps last year but did this year, said they increased the amount of JB's they had. I am going to give the milky spore a shot this year and alter my plans for JB traps next year.

Maybe I'll put them in the neighbors yards ......
(to be continued LOL)

keep in mind that the out break this year is part of a cycle for the Japanese beetles. I bet they will not be so bad next year, if you treat or not. SO you may treat this year and think you got great results when it may not be your treatment, might be the weather. One thing i would do before you do any kind of treatment is do a little digging in the yard and see what kind of grubs you have in the lawn.

you want to make sure Japanese beetle grubs are in the soil you are treating. If there are other grubs (and there are a few other very numerous ones, you just don't see the adults because they fly at night) milky spore will not work on them, it only works only on Japanese beetle grubs.

This should help you with the ID. The grubs are easier to ID then you think.

Identification of White Grubs in Turfgrass

I am about to start my grub colleting for the season, I am interested to see what is in the turf this year!

Buglady, so it's true, we do really have them worse this year? I thought it was my imagination.. and the lady at Southern States was saying how it seemed everyone had them real bad this year. Do they have a cycle kinda thing going on, like the 17 year cicadas?

Meg

Populations are though the roof this year. They are not like the cicadas, that come on a schedule but with all insects populations you have highs and lows. Also this year there is a booming population of coleomegilla maculata. out native pink spot ladybug. I see them all over.

A lot of the insect population changes are due to weather, food availability, climate (which with the global warming who know what will happen but its going to be a mess) and other outside factors.

I am trialing a new organic product from CA for the adult Japanese beetles, and so far as a contact adulticide it seems to work well.