Japanese Beetles

[CA_to_MO_transplant]

I had never even heard of these nasty critters out in CA.. but I moved to MO last yr right in the beginning of their "season". How do you protect your gardens? I have seen what they can do to a full grown peach tree.. and I cringe at what they will do to my garden this year Does putting netting over plants help protect them? All I've heard people say is to spray spray and spray again. There has got to be something else I can do?

[fruits&nuts]

Originally Posted by CA_to_MO_transplant

I had never even heard of these nasty critters out in CA.. but I moved to MO last yr right in the beginning of their "season". How do you protect your gardens? I have seen what they can do to a full grown peach tree.. and I cringe at what they will do to my garden this year Does putting netting over plants help protect them? All I've heard people say is to spray spray and spray again. There has got to be something else I can do?

Welcome to idig.

There is no perfect solution for Japanese beetles or even a very good one. What you will probably need to do is read up on the many techniques that different people use and find out what works for you by trial and error.

Here's a nice summary of basic approaches:

http://www.ghorganics.com/JapaneseBeetle.html

If the federal government would quit killing the birds that eat Japanese beetles, the problem would diminish. In theory an overabundance of Japnese beetles would then lead to more birds which would control them.

[fruits&nuts]

And by the way congratulations on getting out of California and settling in Missouri.

[Christilin]

A good offense is the best defense, in my experience! Here in NC, the Jap beetle problem is pretty bad, so I patrol the yard and garden at least daily with a container of water laced with a drop or two of dishwashing liquid. Especially early in the morning, they are pretty easy to knock into the jar if you sneak up on them from underneath, LOL!

Another thing I do is let my chickens scratch around anywhere there is mulch early in the spring. They'll consume as many of the grubs as they can find, which helps. Another thing that I haven't tried yet is a treatment you can get for your soil, some sort of microbe which targets the grub stage and helps to reduce the population in your yard.

Problem is that in areas where there are neighbors nearby, you have to consider that not everyone in your area will even try to control them, and you will get their beetles coming over into your garden! It's a never-ending fight, so take advantage of every weapon you have. These vile critters will defoliate my grapes in a couple of days if I'm not diligent, but I refuse to resort to the nasty poisons that some people advise me to spray and sprinkle! I'll just do the extra work- it's a good time to be on the lookout for other issues, as well. Keeps me in tune with what's happening in the garden.

[Drew Dubious]

Milky spore! Get them grubs before they start a flyin!

[puttgirl]

I agree-if you have the time to hand-pick them into a container of water you can somewhat control them. Then I would leave the container on the deck and in the evening a big, old cardinal would come by and pick them out of the water and eat them. I guess he appreciated them being washed first!

[Fried Squash]

We catch 50-100 a day in the screen going to the pool filter.

[rockpilefarmer]

There you have it. Milky spore and chickens.

Works well for me...

[Emerald]

If you go out into the garden first thing in the morning while it is still dewy and cool you can knock most of them off the plants into a bucket of water -or what I use is just a large soft drink cup from the gas station- They do not move as fast when they are cold or it is damp-I don't use the soap due to the fact that I then dump them off into the chicken pen--that is my morning routine- let the chickens out and water them, then catch JBs in cup feed to chickens, then do the once over of the tomato plants for hornworms to also feed the chickens.... Needless to say--the chickens go bonkers when they see that cup with JB in it--If I had a bell to ring I'd bet they would drool!

ETA: I forgot!! Their grubs dug out of the soil make the best bass bait!

[ovenbird]

I've had master gardeners recommend the Bayer systemic that kills JBs but this year other Master Gardeners were saying that the Bayer product goes into the pollen of the tree and harms bees. So, no chemicals. Use the milky spore according to the package directions. In Iowa we have to apply it a few times the first year and then every spring thereafter. That keeps my ground from generating JBs, but my neighbors do not treat, so the beetles still come and find my roses, my linden tree, the raspberries, and the corn silks.