Japanese beetles are about a half an inch long with iridescent copper
and green bodies. They can heavily damage and even kill plants by
eating the leaf material between the veins of plants. Many plants are
susceptible from roses to pussy willows to cannas to crape myrtles.
Thankfully, they are short lived and only seem to be a real problem in
my area in early to mid summer. However, in large numbers, they
can even be a problem in their larvae stage where they can live in the
soil for up to a year and will feed on the roots of grasses. I think it is
much easier to control them at this stage, so that is what I will focus
on first. You can view photos at this stage here.
Japanese Beetle larvae (also known as grubs) are susceptible to a
bacteria called Paenibacillus popilliae or more commonly known as
Milky Spore. You can now purchase milky spore in many local
garden centers, hardware stores or discount stores and is readily
available online from places like www.gardensalive.com. Milky
Spore will not harm other grubs or beneficial critters, like earthworms,
only the Japanese Beetle larvae. Milky Spore comes in a powder
form and is best applied in late summer (August for my area) when
the larvae are at their most active. Follow the manufacturer’s
instructions on the container for application rates. Milky Spore is not
a quick fix. It will work over time becoming fully effective in one to
five years and remaining effective for up to 20 years in many climates.
The Japanese beetle larvae will spread the bacteria amongst
themselves, which is why it takes some time to work.
and green bodies. They can heavily damage and even kill plants by
eating the leaf material between the veins of plants. Many plants are
susceptible from roses to pussy willows to cannas to crape myrtles.
Thankfully, they are short lived and only seem to be a real problem in
my area in early to mid summer. However, in large numbers, they
can even be a problem in their larvae stage where they can live in the
soil for up to a year and will feed on the roots of grasses. I think it is
much easier to control them at this stage, so that is what I will focus
on first. You can view photos at this stage here.
Japanese Beetle larvae (also known as grubs) are susceptible to a
bacteria called Paenibacillus popilliae or more commonly known as
Milky Spore. You can now purchase milky spore in many local
garden centers, hardware stores or discount stores and is readily
available online from places like www.gardensalive.com. Milky
Spore will not harm other grubs or beneficial critters, like earthworms,
only the Japanese Beetle larvae. Milky Spore comes in a powder
form and is best applied in late summer (August for my area) when
the larvae are at their most active. Follow the manufacturer’s
instructions on the container for application rates. Milky Spore is not
a quick fix. It will work over time becoming fully effective in one to
five years and remaining effective for up to 20 years in many climates.
The Japanese beetle larvae will spread the bacteria amongst
themselves, which is why it takes some time to work.
| Last Updated on March 6, 2010 |
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| Pest Busters - Japanese Beetles |
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You will find Japanese Beetle traps in stores that contain pheromones
to attract the beetles to the traps, but all you are really doing is
attracting more of the beetles to your yard and you are only catching a
small portion of them in the bag. While they are in your yard, they are
laying eggs in your lawn and you will have an even bigger problem next
year. So, in my opinion, it’s not a smart idea to even put these traps in
your yard, because, in the long run, you will be making the problem
worse.
There are chemical controls that can be applied to the lawn or to the
beetle themselves, but they will also kill off all the good bugs and
beneficials that we need so badly for pollination, soil improvement, and
plant health. So I would avoid them all together except for extreme
to attract the beetles to the traps, but all you are really doing is
attracting more of the beetles to your yard and you are only catching a
small portion of them in the bag. While they are in your yard, they are
laying eggs in your lawn and you will have an even bigger problem next
year. So, in my opinion, it’s not a smart idea to even put these traps in
your yard, because, in the long run, you will be making the problem
worse.
There are chemical controls that can be applied to the lawn or to the
beetle themselves, but they will also kill off all the good bugs and
beneficials that we need so badly for pollination, soil improvement, and
plant health. So I would avoid them all together except for extreme
The only other form of control that really works is hand picking the beetles off your plants and drowning them in soapy water.
They are not good fliers so are easy to pick off your plants and since they are only around for a few short weeks, hand picking is
the easiest and safest control to use.
I’ve personally have applied milky spore to my lawn three years and have very few beetles in my yard. I will monitor the situation
and as soon as it seems like populations are beginning to increase, I will apply milky spore to my lawn again, but that could be 10-
20 years from now.
Find more gardening tips here
| Stock photo used with permission from www.everystockphoto.com |
