attack of the Japaneese Beetles!

grrrr..everyday I pick them out of my roses, they have such a knack for hiding in between the petals and just munching away...

any tried and true methods for making them bugger off?
I try not to spray as it seems to shorten the life of my flowers and makes the petals die quicker (and I have cats, don't want to make them sick)

I feel your pain!!! Trust me!
I am going through the same thing, and no way I can spray anything to kill them, because I have a lot of honey bees that love my yard, not to mention there are baby praying mantis all over my dahlias.

I'm going to try to find some Japanese Beetle traps today.
I had some of those years ago, on my apple trees, and they seemed to help.


Cindy

Hey!

I've come accross a good site I think you should look at:

Japanese Beetles- How to get rid of them... naturally & other ways.

Let us know what you do!

Sincerely,
Shanbear

Are these the same (^&&^$##@@#'s???

I just posted this in another thread, I recently read a book called Rose's love Garlic, it says to plant garlic gloves(but don't peel them) around your plants and it will keep the bugs away. I did this earlier in the year and it's been successful for me so far, just wait for the garlic to start sprouting. Hope this helps.

SpringFever:

Those sure do look like Japanese Beetles. They should have like an emerald green back on them (it's hard to see in the picture.)

I am having the same problem but with a different bug...pincher bugs/earwigs,whatever they are called. they seem to like one particular rose best, but I am noticing the petals on more and more have holes and when I cut the flower to bring inside, I see them fall out or crawling around. help

They have made their way to Ontario too, i have them on some of my plants!!! :p

Mrs. Bradley & Penny:

A way I would suggest for getting rid of pincher bugs without pesticides is as follows:

Put vegetable oil in a empty tuna can. Place the tuna can below your flowers. (Use as many as you feel fit) The idea is that the tuna can is shallow enough for the bugs to get at and the smell of the oil attracts them. Once inside the can the bugs will be lured towards the oil which will drown them.

Let us know what you do!

Sincerely,
Shanbear

ty shanbear. I'll try that and letch know how it goes..=)

I've noticed earwigs were particularly plentiful this year. I went o collect rose petals to make rose petal beads and I found like a gazillion earwigs. Good thing I spread my petals on the lawn to dry a biy or else I would've had earwig rose petal bugs! Imagine wearing them and feeling a pincer in one bead...

Ugh! Yup, just started for me too here in CT. They devour all of my echinacea flower petals! Makes them all look like hell every year!

You're welcome Mrs. Bradley & Penny!

Pincher bugs are a common problem. The remedy mentioned above has worked in the past, I hope it works for you two... and anyone else having this problem.

John & Kenny:

I would suggest the tuna can/ vegetable oil method. And John, you're poor echinacea flowers! Let us know what you two do...

They are really bad this year. Get a japanese beetle trap. I have a plastic model by Teece. The container is the size of a Qt. mayonaise jar. These traps really work but you need to read the directions. Usually you place the trap 25 feet or so AWAY from the area you want to protect. After the trap is half-3/4ths full I get a small bucket of hot soapy water and place the trap in for 30 minutes. Kills them all.

Milky spore is the ground treatment.

I have literally caught THOUSANDS so far this year. about 3 Qt. sized mayo jars FULL.

Tom

WHOA on the traps! Here's from the web site that was suggested (http://www.gardenandhearth.com/Gardening-Tips/Japanese-Beetles.htm):

My local Farm Bureau shares this opinion. Yes, you will catch hundreds of them, but at the expense of drawing them in from the whole neighborhood.

The article recommends applying Milky Spore, but it is extremely expensive (took about $600 to do our 1 1/2 acre lawn last year) and takes time to become effective.

We seem to have fewer this year, but sorry, I'll admit I've sprayed my cherry trees, weeping pussy willow, hollyhocks and birch (their dining preferences at my house).

Would love to hear other "natural" recommendations, but think carefully about the traps, even if you place far away from your plants.

Traps just attract more of them to your yard. The best way to control them is in the larvae stage as grubs with imidacloprid. Recent research has shown that using milky spore just doesn't get results.

John - I believe you're correct. I think it was a CT university that has done a long-term study and the effectiveness of using Milky Spore is now being questioned. Wish I would have seen that BEFORE spending all the moolah! I certainly prefer chem-free, but the amount of damage from these creatures is awful.

Sandy:

Why not try the oil/tuna can remedy listed on the other page. It's cheap so it couldn't hurt any to try...

Spring Fever -
I'm pretty sure your picture is not of a japanese beetle. Japanese beetles are a metallic green. i don't know the name of the one you pictured, i've seen it though & i believe it's pretty common. Maybe if you do some research on the beetles in your area, you could identify it. My husband thinks they are just as damaging to plants as japanese beetles are (individual bug vs. individual bug) and they have the same life cycle (i.e. egg to grub to beetle).
-mara

Here is a picture of the Japanese beetle

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/images/7664f02.jpg

Milky Spore does work if you happen to have the perfect conditions, it is just unfortunate that most people do not have those conditions in their yards.

Imidacloprid the chemical found in Merit is now available to homeowners in the same strength available to pesticide applicators, and it is the most reliable product on the market, as long as the direction on the label are followed. Make certain that it is watered in within 3 days of the application as it does break down quickly on the surface. Once applied *correctly* one application lasts the entire season.
With the variety in climates in this forum, the best way to describe when it should be applied is as soon as the grass starts actively growing.

eww yeah.

they're back.

i've seen a dozen or so on a few of my bushes over the past few days.

i'm not putting a trap up this year. my neighbors put a couple up and they're a couple houses away, so i'll let their traps draw away from my plants

Nice technique, Joclyn!

Good idea, Joclyn!