We've waged war on the Japanese beetles

[schmije]

Our Japanese beetle traps were constantly overflowing, so we replaced the typical plastic container with a tall kitchen bag. This is one day's worth of beetles, and we have a second trap that looks almost identical. The swarms of beetles around the traps are unbelievable.

What are you doing to fight these annoying and destructive pests in your garden?

 

[vfem]

I place those things over the chicken coop and then dump them into the coop little by little. This year has been very mild with the beetles, but the chickens love the snack when they can get some.

I'm soooooooooo sorry you get so much beetles you have to use a trash bag! I believe since we've gotten ducks they eat a good amount of the grub and larva out of the ground so the beetles never get a chance to come up in the summer. :happy_flower Love those darn ducks!

 

[lesa]

Wow! I think you might really benefit by milky spore. That is a ridiculous amount of beetles! Do you have any plants left? I was just saying to Dh, I have only seen 3 this year (knock on wood.) I get the feeling I know where they have all gone! Good luck- I hope you win the war!

 

[so lucky]

All mine must have moved on to your place, schmije. That is an amazing amount. I hope your plants are not getting eaten in spite of your efforts! I'm only getting a couple dozen per day, now. You could freeze them, then give them to someone to feed them to the chickens or ducks. Be sure you freeze them longer than overnight, tho. That doesn't kill them, I found out. Don't ask how I know.

 

[catjac1975]

I no longer use the attractant bags. I think they lured JB from all of the neighbors properties.Milky spore has reduced my population to barely a nuisance. If you get a lot of skunks in your yard chances are you have a large larvae population . Skunks leave small holes in a whorl shape as they eat the larva.

 

[catjac1975]

If you get patches of grass that just dies out that is beetle larvae eating the roots.

 

[flowerbug]

i just found this thread! OMG what a haul!

today i found out something new.

i went out and picked japanese beetles off the grapes and beans dropping them in mildly soapy water.

then i went and did something for an hourish, then i dumped them out where i dumped out the pile of them yesterday (noting that all of yesterday's beetles were gone so something ate them).

then i went and watered. on the way back up to the house i had to go by where i dumped them to get the container and i noticed some of them were crawling away. it took me at least an hour so some of them survived being drowned in mildly soapy water for that length of time.

i did squash as many of them as i could, but i wonder how many of the ones i picked today were from yesterday too. i know now all were, but some surivived.

for now on i'm going to start seeing how long it actually does take to drown them starting with at least overnight...

i thought i'd add to this thread instead of starting another one... just because that first picture in the thread is so impressive...

 

[Zeedman]

That first photo is rather depressing, if it indicates the the degree to which the population can escalate in the future. Hard to imagine how much damage could be caused by such huge numbers. My local JB population has been increasing slowly since they first appeared 3 years ago, and is not yet severe. I'm only killing about 20 a day, using Safers soap & a spray bottle... if completely wetted down, they die within 5-10 minutes. Nice of them to congregate at the top of the pole beans, and on my Zebrina mallow, where I can easily find them.

I think most of my neighbors are getting their lawns professionally treated (judging by the posted "Warning: poison" signs), which should cut down on the numbers nearby. If I treat my yard with milky spore, hopefully the population will remain manageable.

 

[canesisters]

I don't use soap, I put a few drops of oregano and rosemary oil in water to create a slick. Then drop the little buggers in. Once I've checked all their favorite haunts I dump them in the chicken coop. They snap them up immediately and the oils are good for them too.

 

[Beekissed]

I didn't use the JB bags this year and numbers were MUCH less. I think the harsh winter we had also helped with that. I've just been squirting the ones that did hit the garden with soapy water.

I also planted sacrifice beans along the fence of the garden, which they really ate down...and pretty much left my good beans alone.

I'd advise not using the bags next year and see how it goes....I know I got more JBs when I started using the traps and less when I stopped and I've heard the same with other people.