Japanese Beetle Replies
FROM Shawn Burns shawnburns@wideopenwest.com
We're on the lake , these beetles were far fewer in our yard due to the
cool summer. hot summers are great for jap beetles. they love the heat
and are much more active. one of the best things I have used for
reducing them is the traps you can buy at the garden stores. I hav used
them and they catch a lot of the beetles. make sure you follow the
directions. you need to use them for a few summers in a row to get them
to really go down. make sure you empty the traps and put the beetles in
a plastic bag in the garbage. If you bury the beetles they can dig back
up through the dirt and go back to their business. the other thing
that works is to use the Japanese beetle systemic fertilizer on your
plants that get attacked by them. this fertilizer is not cheap, but if
you have a prized bush or small tree it works very well. You put it in
water and feed the roots through a sprinkler can, put it on in per
directions in the spring and the beetles will NOT eat the shrub. It
works. on roses, they will not eat the leaves but they will still eat
the flowers. best thing to do there is a topical insecticide or just
shake them off the plant and dispose. the traps work well to keep them
away too. the stuff on the lawn, I have used, don't know how well it
works. I think you would have to do two seasons to see the results .
one thing is for sure, if they are a problem in the neighborhood, they
will easily fly into your yard even with all these precautions. if you
can get them out of the lawn, protect your favorite plants with the
systemic root feed. then the traps are the best defense , I have found
that with two years of effort you can bring them way down. don't know
if you can ever completely eliminate them, but you can probably get to
where the traps are all you need. good luck
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