The Japanese Beetles are here

[MissS]

The Japanese Beetles are back in force this year. I used Milky Spore last year so hopefully they won't be as bad. This is our first week with them and I am not noticing much of a decrease in numbers yet.

[Sue_CT]

Been here for a couple or three weeks now. Hate the little buggers. Actually what I have mostly now are asiatic garden beetles. Haven't seen much in the way of real Japanese Beetles in a while.

[brownrexx]

Japenese beetles usually arrive around the 4th of July here and they were right on schedule this year.

[JRinPA]

The scouts show up here the last week of June. By July 4th they are getting heavy. This year is so dry, I don't think they are in full force yet. They laced some pole beans but that is about it so far.

I always see the oriental beetles first, the khaki brown and black ones, but they never show up in same numbers as the green ones. I see them in more random areas - like in the clover last week while mowing the yard. I go slow so as not to hit honeybees. But on close inspection, some of them were turning out to be oriental beetles.

[Spike]

The Japanese Beetles are back in force this year.

NOOOOOOOOO! Keep them please! Haven't seen any yet this year and like it that way just fine!! Maybe cause my garden was a heaping pile of poo this year? Haven't see any of them yet and would hope it stays that way.

[Magic_Mike]

They've been here for almost 3 weeks. Heavier infestation this year compared to the last couple.

[Spike]

They've been here for almost 3 weeks. Heavier infestation this year compared to the last couple.

That is just so odd to me? The bro, hubby and myself have all noticed and mentioned how so far this year, there have been hardly any June Bugs, only a couple lightening bugs and those nasty beetles haven't made a showing at all. The bro lives across the street and neither of us spray or anything like that so we didn't kill them off.

Don't miss them! Don't want them! But do miss my lightening bugs

[MissS]

They've been here for almost 3 weeks. Heavier infestation this year compared to the last couple.

That is just so odd to me? The bro, hubby and myself have all noticed and mentioned how so far this year, there have been hardly any June Bugs, only a couple lightening bugs and those nasty beetles haven't made a showing at all. The bro lives across the street and neither of us spray or anything like that so we didn't kill them off.

Don't miss them! Don't want them! But do miss my lightening bugs

I wonder if it has anything to do with the tractor turning up your soil prior to planting?

[Spike]

They've been here for almost 3 weeks. Heavier infestation this year compared to the last couple.

That is just so odd to me? The bro, hubby and myself have all noticed and mentioned how so far this year, there have been hardly any June Bugs, only a couple lightening bugs and those nasty beetles haven't made a showing at all. The bro lives across the street and neither of us spray or anything like that so we didn't kill them off.

Don't miss them! Don't want them! But do miss my lightening bugs

I wonder if it has anything to do with the tractor turning up your soil prior to planting?

I don't think so? My friend brings the tractor down every year and tills for me. Every year in the past we have been swarmed with those nasty bugs and beetles. I do miss the lightening bugs though.

[Sue_CT]

They need moisture. In very dry years populations tend to be much smaller. Are you having a dry year?

[Spike]

Oh wow! @Sue_CT I think you might have solved the question!! Normally we do get a lot more rain than we have had this year. That must be it!

[Sue_CT]

I believe that is how we just about got rid of ours. We used to get tons, but I think most got killed off in a drought year or two.

[zeuspaul]

I remember seeing those little guys when I lived in New Jersey. I have never seen one here in California. I just checked and California considers them invasive and works to eradicate them when they show up.

[karstopography]

I don’t guess Japanese beetles are here either. Never seen one. Range maps have only very limited populations in Texas and efforts have been made to eradicate them. My county is in the green zone.

[Setec Astronomy]

If anybody cares, I got a couple of really nice Trece/Pherocon Japanese Beetle traps last year from Gempler's (they don't seem to have them anymore). I used to use the ones with the disposable bag, but something (racoon?) would always chew a hole in the bag. I put them on the far sides of the house away from the target plants and catch a ton and almost never see any on my plants. I also was able to get a Squash Vine Borer trap this year, and I looked in it this morning and there were 8-10-12 SVB moths dead in the bottom. So consider this a positive review for the Trece/Pherocon stuff, if you can find it.

PS There is the argument that using Japanese Beetle traps (and I guess the SVB, too) actually attracts the pest to your yard, and that may be, but they still seem to be keeping the pest away from the target plants. I have 5 squash plants that I was checking every day for SVB eggs, not really sure if I would have SVB's, then one day I saw a moth and quickly got the trap. Still no SVB damage.

EDIT:

I just decided to empty the Japanese Beetle traps, because one of them was so full I was afraid it wasn't going to be effective anymore. This is what came out:

IMG_2753.JPG

That's a gallon freezer bag. I tried to drown them first but they threatened to float out the top. I should have used hot water. I put the traps out just under a month ago.

[Spike]

Found my first Japanese Beetle on a pepper leaf today. Now due to my husbands health issues I didn't get hardly anything planted and none of the beans, peas and lima beans germinated. I didn't get any zinnias planted. Now my cousin that lives next door was complaining to me just a bit ago that her zinnias are covered in Japanese beetles. She is like 100 feet from me? Do those nasty little buggers like/are attracted to zinnias?

[Setec Astronomy]

A quick Google suggests yes, they like Zinnias. This seems to be a bang-up year for them, perhaps because we had a slightly milder winter than usual. At least where I am. I don't remember having to empty the traps in the middle of the season last year.

[MissS]

My Zinnia's look terrible. They have been chewed to bits by the JB's. Same with my cuphea and canna which is so loved by my hummingbirds. This is the first year that I have had problems with them eating petunias.

It is raining today but tomorrow I will be getting out the Neem and see how that works on them. Hopefully the hummingbirds won't be bothered by it.

[JRinPA]

Oh yes they love zinnias. I have a border crop of zinnias seeded in a cover crop patch at the comm garden. Daikon, lima beans, and zinnias. The zinnias are only a few inches high and already getting shredded by japanese beetles.

[Labradors]

I'm thinking of getting a Japanese Beetle trap so that I can feed them to my chickens. Does anyone know how I could do that without them flying away? I usually flick them into a bowl of water and the chickens dunk for them, but If there are hoards of them I wouldn't want them flying away!

Linda