how to get rid of japanese beetles, I have traps?

Question

we have many roses and the japanese beetles are all over them , we have 3 traps ( scent pad and bag ) around the roses , more than 30 ft away , as reccomended , any help without using tough pesticides ???

Answer 1

The pheromone bags do kill a lot of beetles, but they also attract a lot of Japanese Beetles to your yard. In fact they attract more beetles than your plants do. If you use the bags, place them as far from your plants as possible. They may reduce the number of adult beetles on your plants, but they will not eliminate them.

Sevin is a chemical insecticide that is very effective, but be careful it is deadly to bees. The EPA has removed Diazinon from the market place in the US

Imidacloprid works on the grubs (Merit) and on the adults (Bayer Advanced Rose & Shrub Care). Bayer Advanced Rose & Shrub Care is an interesting product because its a systemic. Water the roots with this prouct 1st. week of May & the plant translocates it to the leaves by July. Only the bugs eating leaves of your protected plants are affected

The botanicals like Neem, Rotenone, and pyrethrins are naturally occurring insecticides found in plants. They are certified for organic gardening provided you follow the labeled instructions. They are not as effective as the chemical insecticides. The pyrethrins are primarily contact sprays

You can always hand pick and place in soapy water or cover your plants with a floating row cover or mesh/netting to keep the Japanese Beetle off your plants

Lady bugs and lacewings are totally ineffective on hardbodied beetles like the Japanese Beetle, though they do like softbodied insects like aphids. There is no guarantee that benefitial insects will stay put in your garden

Japanese Beetle grubs in your lawn can be controlled with Imidacloprid (Merit), Milky spore or nematodes. Grub control will not remove the adult from your landscape. Adults can fly up to two miles per day.

Answer 2

pannetone2002 Is 100% correct!! That is exactly what I write every time someone asks about Japanese Beetles. Milky Spore works like nothing else by giving the beetles a virus that spreads to other beetles each year and then they are just plain gone. I used it 20+ years ago and reapplied it about 4 years ago when I noticed that they were coming back. I have seen maybe 5 this year and I have hundreds of flowers, and the ones I did see are either dead or close to it. I got mine at Lowe's also. PS I have neighbors on both sides that don't use it and still have no beetles. pannetone2002 is also right on sevin... it kills bees and you need bees for flowers! That simple.

Answer 3

Short-term nontoxic way is to flip them into soapy water. It might not seem like you're doing much until you realize that one beetle can attract others since Japanese beetles can fly anywhere from 1-5 miles. That's why pheromone traps will bring in more beetles to your garden. Long-term "safe" 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. Milky Spore continually regenerates as it destroys Japanese beetle grubs, & can last for 3-10 years. Repellent plants: Catnip, chives, garlic, tansy and rue. Good luck getting rid of those beetles.

Answer 4

Many, many, many of my friends living on the eastern side of the Mississippi river have this problem. This year (2007) has been TERRIBLE for them. The traps seem to draw more into their yards from their neighbours yards. They all have found that picking them by hand and dropping them into a container of water is the best solution. Many just give up and let the beetles take over. They will soon be gone and your roses will put on new leaves.

Answer 5

Don;t use Sevin, it kills honey bees. Put milky spore on your yard. You can get it at any Home Depot or Lowes and it will kill all the beetles within a year. Put it on your yard this fall, and you will only have a couple of beetles next year and the year after that you won't have any. And it will last for 20 years or more.

Answer 6

Oh my how i wish i new the exact answer. i have the same problems. I have the traps but they continue to take a run of my yard. I read something about how they grow in the soil, and there is a soil based pesticide you can use. With an acid or something. But you have to put it in in the off season to keep their larva from growing. in my garden i put soapy water over the plants, so they don;t eat the leaves. they don't like it and the plants love it.

Answer 7

Throw those traps away. I used them once and I had more beetles then ever.They just draw them to your yard. Buy some Liquid Sevin spray and spray your roses usually have to spray about every 10 days or so..

Answer 8

Japanese beetles are the adult form of the grubs you have in the ground(those fat white worm looking bugs). I use seven dust to kill the beetle. Come next spring you need to treat your yard for the grubs.

Answer 9

I know there used to be bug catcher bags with an attractent in them to catch these guys. my grandparents would have no lie a couple pounds of them caught in a week using just one or two off these bags

Answer 10

shhhhh.....the traps are attracting them.......put the traps in your neighbor's yard.......or far, far away from your plants. Thirty feet isn't near far enough. shhh, don't tell your neighbors.