Thursday, July 17, 2014

Japanese Beetles

So a friend of mine made mention of an influx of Japanese Beetles in her garden and how she was having trouble getting rid of them using only organic methods. Thank goodness I have not yet had this issue in my garden but it got me started on some research.


Japanese beetles have a metallic green body and copper wings. This chafer, or flying beetle grow to an average of 3/8 in long by 1/4 in wide. These pests feed on fruit and foliage as adults but start out feeding on grass roots as larva. These beetles overwinter roughly 8-10 in below the soil surface and begin to move towards the surface as spring approaches. In the beginning of June the adults begin to emerge and generally live for 30-45 days.


It is easy to spot Japanese beetles in the act of ruining a garden as they are not easily startled. You will also notice skeletonized leaves and defoliation in your plants. One beetle may cause damage to your garden but as these beetles grow in number the damage can become quite substantial.


If the infestation of beetles has not grown too large, you can simply pick off the beetles and drop them in a bucket of soapy water (soap breaks the tension and allows the beetle to drown).


Although not much help for current beetle issues, laying down mulch or hay will keep these chafers from laying eggs in your soil and cut down on the number of beetles you have next year.



Milky spore is a product you can purchase and spread throughout your lawn and garden in order to kill Japanese beetles. However this garden is recommended with a warning because it is ONLY effective towards Japanese Beetles and will nothing to combat the thousands of other flying pests in our area.




 Sticky tape or stakes can be purchased and laid in strips throughout your garden however this process is not guaranteed to work as there is nothing in the tape to draw the beetles too it.


You can also purchase Japanese Beetle traps at your local hardware store.


If you have had a similar experience with beetles or have any tips please feel free to let us know!

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