japanese beetles?

Question

what is the best way to kill japanese beetles or at least keep them off of trees and plants? they are eating all the on my crete myrtle tree and my neighbors too, and some of our flowers and plants.

Answer 1

The person above suggested in buying the beetle bag traps. I would NOT suggest those... why? Those thing work by sending out a pheromone to draw them into the bag. You might catch and kill some of them but what you have to stop and think about is that pheromone is also going to draw new insects into the area that were not there before. What is the point of killing 10 beetles if you draw 15 new ones in by the pheromone.

Anyway, back to your question....

There are a few options you can try.
1: They make some very fine mesh netting that you can place around the plants. The downside is it does not always do the trick and if insects are already on the plant or eggs have been laied inside the net you are in trouble.
2: There is a chemical called Permethrin... you can buy it as a mix or concentrate. It sprays directly on the plant and will keep beetles away. It also works for a bunch of other pests. Lasts for about a week before you have to spray again. It also comes as a "dust" if your plants are sensitive like flowers.
3: There is another product called Deltamethrin (also comes as a mix of concentrate) that works kinda the same way as the peremethin but lasts longer.
4: There are also many grub control killers that you can place in the ground.

Overall what you want to do is go to a garden store into the "pest" control section. Once there you will want to factor in several things... the types of plants you want to protect (ie many sprays cannot go on plants with fruit), the toxicity level of the killer (ie if you have kids/pets playing in the yard), what cycle the insects are in (ie currently feeding or are grubs), overall what will just work best for you. There are MANY insect sprays on the market.... some will kill insects, others will just keep them away. It is up to you to decide which to use.

Just PLEASE stay away from those stupid japanese beetle bags. 100% WORTHLESS!!!!

Answer 2

At first I didn't think these little buggers were a "problem" they seemed harmless, but then I noticed they were destroying my gorgeous petunias!!! My kids have been feeding them to their (outdoor) pet frog..but he can't eat them fast enough..so, I finally used Sevin today. If they come back I'm going to order Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer for Soil and Turf, I found it on www.yardlover.com, my pest control company (whose contract doesn't cover Japanese Beetles) says it's the best treatment for both stages, the grub and the adult beetle. (This product label says it can be used on plants and ornamentals as well.)
my 2 cents.

Answer 3

First of all, don't listen to a word that Professor Monkey speaks. I know all about him and his evil little plots. He is actually not even a professor, he's just a plain ol' regular monkey, and thats all.

And the other suggestion that I would have, is to somehow poison your whole lawn with monkey turds. According to wikipedia, this works wonders for your plants. It keeps the bears away, which helps to keep away the scary beetles. It even adds a certain aroma to your area, as well. You can also hire a monkey to work for you, and when he stops producing so much poo you can turn him into a nice snack. Wikipedia says this, so it must be true.

Believe me, Professor Monkey is 100% worthless, and you shouldn't believe him. Trust me, because I saw it on wikipedia. So it must be right. Feel free to check my sources.

Answer 4

Early a.m. or purely approximately dark (while beetles are quiet), carry below the limb or leaves with the beetles an excellent, shallow pan with soapy water in it. Knock the beetles into the soapy water--they are in a position to't get out. technique is painstaking yet very non-poisonous and occasional-value...

Answer 5

You have some good suggestions there - but nobody's mentioned the old favorite low-tech solution - pay kids a penny or such for each Japanese Beetle they collect. We used to fill up coffee cans with soapy water in them with Japanese Beetles for a couple bucks for ice cream. Kids have sharp eyes and lots of enthusiasm for the hunt as well.

Answer 6

Go to any hardware store, and you can buy these little bags that send out a smell that the beetles like. Then, they are attracted to the bags, go in, but can't get out. It is a really good way to get rid of them.
That pheromone only attracts Japanese beetles. But, she is right in saying it does attract more.
From Wikipedia:
During the larval stage, the Japanese beetle lives in lawns and other grasslands, where it eats the roots of grass. During that stage, it is susceptible to a fatal disease called milky spore disease, caused by a bacterium called milky spore, Bacillus popilliae. The USDA developed this biological control and it is commercially available in powder form for application to lawn areas. Standard applications (low density across a broad area) take from one to five years to establish maximal protection against larval survival (depending on climate), expanding through the soil through repeated rounds of infection, in-host multiplication, release from killed host, and infection. Typically proper application can lead to a 15-20 year period of protection.

Soil-bound larvae are also susceptible to certain members of the nematode families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae. As with milky spore, commercial preparations of these nematode varieties are available.

The primary natural predator found in Japan is the winsome fly (Istocheta (or Hyperecteina) aldrichi), a parasitic fly. Attempts at establishing this predator in the United States have met with limited success, primarily in New England. Alternative predators have shown some potential at serving as biological controls, such as the Spring tiphia (Tiphia vernalis) and Fall tiphia (Tiphia popilliavora) from China and Korea. Also, certain birds (such as the meadowlark and cardinal) and small mammals are significant predators on the adult form.

On field crops such as eggplant, floating row covers can be used to exclude the beetles, however this may necessitate hand pollination of flowers. Kaolin sprays can also be used as barriers.

Research performed by many US extension service branches has shown that pheromone traps may attract more beetles than they catch, and so they have fallen out of favor. Natural repellents include catnip, chives, garlic, and tansy, as well as the remains of dead beetles.

Answer 7

I agree with professor monkey. But the woman I used to work for had the same problem and when she got the beetle traps, It killed a lot of the beetles, but it also drew more.
I would NOT recommend using pesticides.