Here's a familiar face, I'm sure. It's just about time for these iridescent nuisances to put in an appearance, if you haven't spotted them already. They'll do a little munching as they get into their cycle of feeding, mating and laying eggs.
Lately they seem to like to lull us into a false sense of serenity. Just when you think they might not be a problem this year, there they are snacking on your roses. We will never get rid of them entirely, but you can take steps to keep the adult population of Japanese beetles under control.
Here's what's recommended for controlling Japanese beetles in your garden.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
Used to have millions of japanese beetles in my yard every summer; traps, soapy water, sprays, nothing worked. Some years ago, we lost a lot of our bird population due to west nile virus and the beetle population exploded. I put up a bird feeder and eventually the birds came back. Robins, starlings, cardinals all eat these beetles and for 3 years now I have not had a problem, just a bunch of fat little birds in my yard now.
That’s a great tip. It’s amazing how much birds can eat. The beetles were a little late arriving in my yard this year, probably because we had so much rain. I hope the birds haven’t ruined their appetites.
Those critters showed up early on here in the 9 zone and I was trying to figure out what they were while taking photos of them mating and such. They are all gone now, and I am assuming the birds have taken care of them. I am wondering if the little black beetle(size maybe a 1/2 carat) are the offspring?
Rita, the female Japanese beetle burrows into the ground to lay her eggs. These hatch into yucky grubs, which will feed on the roots of your grass through most of August. (That’s why it’s a good time to treat your lawn for grubs, if they’re a major problem.)
The grubs pupate and burying themselves further underground for the winter and emerge as lovely, iridescent adults in June or July, to start the cycle all over again.
So the black beetle is something else and it may not be harmful to your plants at all. There are an awful lot of beetles out there.
These beetles are going CRAZY this year! Any way to get rid of them?
Do you mean other than the ones I wrote about in the article?
The deer took care of my rose pruning early this year, and the minute the 2nd round of roses bloomed, I found one of these buggers munching away… this was AFTER spraying it down with insecticidal soap (mainly to dissuade the deer).
I upgraded to an aerosol bug spray labeled specifically for japanese beetles and set out a bag-o-bug trap. Last year my neighbor and I both had really good results from the traps (set downwind 30 feet away from the garden). So spray, traps and oh yeah, birdfeeders…thanks for the reminder! Hopefully we’ll get to enjoy roses some time this year!
Trisha, what was the spray you used?
Birds! Yes, aren’t they a great natural pesticide?
I never had Japanese Beetles until my neighbor purchased some phermone traps. The Beetles certainly were attracted to the traps .Unfortunately, they stopped in my yard and helped themselves to my garden! The following year she did not use the traps and the Beetles did not return! If you have aproblem with the beetles, talk to your neighbors,they may be attracting them.
It’s Shultz’s Houseplant & Gardens bug spray for whitefly and mealybug (and japanese beetles!). Good for a few important plants because you have to really cover the plant. I sprayed heavily right inside the flowers, they didnt seem to mind. It works, but could get expensive if you have a lot to spray.
By now, the bag trap has a full 8oz. cup of beetles in it! I can see how a neighbor could lure bugs into your yard because it really does attract them. I was afraid to put it in the designated spot, because we planted vegetables there this year, literally feet away from the trap… but they all went in the bag and I see no more beetles and no more chewed leaves! If you’re having a bad infestation, I’d say its worth a shot.
Thanks, Trisha. I’ll have to give it a try.
What about using nematodes to kill japanese beetles?
Betty, that’s a good suggestion. You just have to time it so that the nematodes are in the soil while the grubs are small – which should be right about now, according to Virginia Extension.