Raspberries, greenbeans and Japanese beetle. :(

[Carol Dee]

The Japanese beetles are back. They are flocking to the red raspberries now. The green beans leaves are full of holes. They are blooming and will set beans soon. (Sad to say in the past we used Seven dust to fight them.) No longer doing that. We have bee hives on the property and do not want to harm bees. What method works best to control them. I am guessing hand picking and dropping in soapy water.

 

[so lucky]

Carol, I think I remember one of the Bean Gurus on here saying that beans are usually not bee-pollinated, but self-pollinated. I wonder if they even try to get to the bean blossoms? and if, since the JBs are on the leaves, a light dusting at sunset would do the trick.

 

[Carol Dee]

@so lucky. That is what I thought, but DH is set against it. I will send him in the jungle with the bucket! *shudder*

 

[baymule]

When I started reading the title to your thread, I was thinking "what you had for supper......then got to the Japanese beetles part of it and realized you weren't talking about supper!

 

[wsmoak]

They attack my raspberries as well -- I never had them before I planted those! A quart cottage cheese or yogurt container of soapy water held under the leaves so you can knock the beetles into it works well.

-Wendy

 

[Carol Dee]

When I started reading the title to your thread, I was thinking "what you had for supper......then got to the Japanese beetles part of it and realized you weren't talking about supper!

you are so silly

 

[lesa]

Wendy- that is what I use. I fill it with just water and drop as many beetles in it as I can....then I bring it over to the chickens. They go crazy for them. As the amount dwindles, the chickens give me the evil eye. What-only 20 beetles??

 

[Smart Red]

Went on my first JB hunt today. They still seem to be low in numbers -- so far. Checked all their usual favorite places but didn't find very many out yet.

Supper? My chickens will eat them. BC (before chickens), I used to leave the buckets of JBs out at night only to find that raccoons love eating them if I do all the work of collecting them and setting them out.

 

[journey11]

I've tried neem oil because it is supposed to help/slow them down at least, but you have to start early, before you see damage or if they are just starting and you have to continue spraying at least every week. But I like handpicking and drowning the best. Put a little dishsoap in the water to break the water tension so they'll sink and drown quickly. If you stick the bucket underneath the leaves and flick/shake them in, that's easier and you can get more than one at a time. I'll use Sevin on things that aren't typically bee pollinated, like tomatoes and beans. I've seen mason bees on beans once in a blue moon, but the honeybees aren't particularly attracted to their flowers. If you spray (whatever you chose to spray) last thing in the evening after the bees have gone to bed, it will dry before they can get into it.

I've never seen so many JBs as this year. I'm putting out the traps next year!

ETA: Handpicking them is easier in the evening because they don't fly off for some reason.

 

[baymule]

I know I am at risk here for getting a rake thrown at me, for stating that I don't have JB's, but does anybody find that chickens help with the problem? Are the JB's in a part of the garden where chickens could pick them off themselves or would they just add more destruction to the problem? It seems there ought to be a way to use poultry to control them when they are such treats for them. I know most chickens don't range in the tree tops to get the JB's off the fruit trees, maybe guineas?

If the JB's are attracted to one plant or group of plants, what about planting a "trap" for them and turning the poultry loose on them? Might be worth planning for next year. Just throwing ideas out there, OK, you can throw the rake now.