Japanese beetles! My arch nemesis returns.

[Shughes717]

I don't know about the rest of you out there, but I have to battle japanese beetles every season. I think I my house is the center of the Japanese beetle infestation of the United States. They love my rose bushes, rose of Sharon trees, my little magnolia tree, and of course my crepe myrtles.

My current methods of combatting these annoying insects are as follows: #1 My outer defense is beetle traps set up on the perimeter of my property. I caught enough beetles in those traps last summer to fill a 30 gallon drum. I am thinking of doubling the traps in hopes that the extra bait will help draw the beetles out away from my flowering plants.

#2 My inner defense is spraying my plants with a pyrethroid called kendo. It kills the beetles that are on the plants, but you don't want to get any on you or your skin will feel like it's sun burned. I have used dish soap and water in the past and it does ok, but the pyrethroid does a little better job of killing them.

Anyone else have any other effective methods that you use to eradicate these evil creatures?

 

[FMBill]

Chickens!

 

[georeedy]

I've put down milky spore for the first time this year as we've had a pretty large infestation. Won't know how well it works for a few years, and not sure it's going to be all that effective if I'm the only one using it. The traps just seem to attract more, so I didn't bother this year. Simple Malathion spray every 4 days while they're flying saved my trees. Seems like they've gone to ground now, laying eggs. I'm sure I'll have grubs in a month as I'm hoping the milky spore takes root.

 

[Brownieboy]

Beetles can be a process to get rid of. There are insect removal companies that will do this for you for a fee. Depending on your budget you may not want to hire someone. Keep trying everything you find on how to get rid of them. Use organic remedies and chemical if needed. Biggest thing on getting rid of a pest is to be persistent keep at it and don't give up.