What can be done to rid my Flowers and Bushes of Japanese Beetles?

Question

They show up the second week in June where I live...they are even effecting crops in this area.

Answer 1

Lots of commercial traps available at any good hardware store.

Answer 2

Insecticidal soap doen't work very well on Japanese beetles . Neem, from the seeds of an Indian tree, works best . It's a repellent, along with being an insecticide . One drawback, & a point in it's favor , is that has a very short residual time , 8-12 hrs. The repellent action , might last longer. Some combination of Neem,& other repellents , hot pepper wax &/or Garlic Barrier would probably work best . The latter two , are good for Three-lined Plant Bug ( see any clusters of little circles on anything?) & leafhoppers, that are out in force now. If you have anything, such as roses,liatris or shasta daisies, that are hit hard by those , it'd be worth a try, even without the beetles.

If you use traps , place them well away from the target plants . The traps bring in more than are already there. You don't want to lead the beetles to their favorite plants .

A long-term solution , in part , is to apply Milky Spore disease to the lawn. This will kill larvae in the soil . Not now, but starting when the current beetles lay their eggs , in about a month or so. It takes 2-4 years to spread throughout the lawn

Another thing you can do is plant trap crops .That is , plants that the beetles are drawn to, & like as well, or better, than the ones you are tryiing to save . Sunflowers are great for this. They also deter Corn Borers. I found the best one I know of, by accident . Some Touch-Me-Nots* ( Impatiens pallida, I. officianalis) , a prolific weed , came up between a couple roses, that were ~ 6' apart . I knew hummingbirds like them, so left a couple, & pulled the rest . By the time the Japanese Beetles came they were 3-4' , about the same as the roses . It was an amazing, & very pleasant surprise . There were hoards of Japanes beetles on them , & none on the roses . Only saw one that year go after a rose. The three-lined plant bugs also liked it , sparing their normal target, liatris, that was right next to it . Ever since , I always let a few of them grow.

Word of warning, if you are treating a Japanese Maple , or any type of Hibiscus (Hibiscus, Mallow, Sidalcea, Hollyhocks, Rose of Sharon, etc) be careful . They are sensitive to a lot of chemicals . Spray early in the morning, and try a small test area first. Wait a couple days , to see if there are any ill effects . I know one guy that pays neighborhood kids 1c/ beetle , to pick them off his Japanese Maples . Most cost effective & least harmful to the tree , method he's found .;D

Answer 3

They hate garlic. Someone on the gardenweb forum found a garlic-flavored olive oil spray in their cupboard and lightly sprayed their basil plants with it, & it got rid of the beetles.

Garlic spray:
Use up two cloves of garlic and a hot pepper in a pint of water. Strain, add a drop each of dishwashing soap and vegetable oil & spray on plants early in the morning.

You can also use a neem-based product to get rid of the beetles.

Some people position a bowl filled with soapy water (or oil) under the plant and tap lightly. They should fall out and drown in the solution. This procedure seems to be most effective in the morning or evening when the beetles are resting.

Another procedure is to spray infected plants with a mixture of 1 tablespoon isopropyl alcohol to a pint of pyrethrin mixture every 3 to 5 days.

Don't use any chemical remedy or even the "safe" organic pesticides in full sun or high temperatures because that's when they can burn or stress plants.

Landscape with plants that are known to actively repel the adults, white mums, rue, tansy, larkspur, garlic, citronella.

Long-term prevention for Japanese Beetles is biological controls such as beneficial nematodes or a product called "milky spore," which attack the grubs, and prevent recurrence for years.

Rotenone, Pyrethrum, Diazinon and Sevin sprays are also effective against adult beetles.

Answer 4

Ortho's malicious program-B-long previous or the particular Beetle version may well be sprayed with an orchard sprayer (may additionally purchase in a sprayer can). This works until it rains. you will might desire to reapply. you should use some variety of grub formulation (Grub-X)on your grass interior of here few weeks as those creatures are mating actual now and approximately to dig down and take over your grass. they are going to reason harm. regardless of you do, do not use traps, they inspire greater beetles to shuttle on your backyard. interior the tip of July you should deal jointly with your backyard with milky spore. that's costly, even with the undeniable fact that that's going to final approximately 5-10 years. that's easily going to get ingested and reason the beetles to be much less prolific. seek advice from buddies. The greater you coach eachother (quite approximately those ineffective traps, the greater advantageous.)

Answer 5

Most of the commercial traps work fairly well. I think we usually use the Bag-a-bug brand. The secret with these and any other attractant type traps is to hang them away from where you want them to stay away from, not right by them.

Check out our website for more gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!

Answer 6

Spray the plants with "Safer" insecticidal soap. It is very low toxicity (to us) but is great on beetles. You'll have to do it again after a heavy rain, but it worked great for me. Good luck.

Answer 7

short and sweet answer...ortho insect and disease control
spray your plants and beetles down and enjoy watching them die! we are overrun with them too!