Abbeygurl4 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 what the heck do I get rid of those pesky beetles with? My knock-out roses are beautiful but the beetles are devouring all the leaves. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 You can pick them by hand and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Very safe and environmentally friendly. You can try Captain Jack's dead bug which is a biological control. Supposed to be safer. However, I had little luck with it. When I used it to kill the beetles on my peach trees, I still had no peaches. So I did something totally inorganic and awful. I sprayed everything with liquid Sevin. I had peaches this year for the first time in 5 years. Is is wrong to hum cheerfully while spraying Japanese Beetles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Chickens and guinea hens love Japanese beetles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Chickens and guinea hens love Japanese beetles. Think someone would let me borrow some for a few days? I'd love to own them but our zoning won't allow it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 You can pick them by hand and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Very safe and environmentally friendly. You can try Captain Jack's dead bug which is a biological control. Supposed to be safer. However, I had little luck with it. When I used it to kill the beetles on my peach trees, I still had no peaches. So I did something totally inorganic and awful. I sprayed everything with liquid Sevin. I had peaches this year for the first time in 5 years. Is is wrong to hum cheerfully while spraying Japanese Beetles? nothing wrong at all! I think I may go for the liquid Sevin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Chickens and guinea hens love Japanese beetles. Apparently my chickens either didn't get the memo or they just don't have the appetite for THAT many beetles. I hate those things and they are a pestilence in my area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in AL Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 We use a product by Bayer. I have bought it at both Wal-Mart and Home Deopt/Lowe's. It's fairly pricey, but it works. I hate that it isn't organic/friendly, but it works. Those pesky buggers eat leaves from our roses, crepe myrtles, Japanese Maples, and other plants. We can't stand them!! We can't have chickens here, but if we could, we would need a ton of them to eat all the beetles. They pile up in the yard. Seriously. They *pile* up. Totally gross. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 We were starting to get bad beetle infestations and hubby ordered some nematodes over the internet. Who knew nematode isn't jsut a funny word, but is a tiny critter that lives in your yard and kills the eggs/larva/whatever the beetles us to reproduce. Long live the nematode! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I think I may go for the liquid Sevin. Don't. You will just poison your yard to no end. It will do nothing to stop an infestation of Japanese beetles. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 FYI....Sevin is highly toxic to honey bees for several days. It can destroy an entire hive. :( If you must use it, keep it off the flowers. But try something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 FYI....Sevin is highly toxic to honey bees for several days. It can destroy an entire hive. :( If you must use it, keep it off the flowers. But try something else. :iagree: Spaying Sevin is an absolutely reckless act. It is highly toxic to honey bees (which are attracted to flowers like roses) and can kill whole hives. And it is just not a solution to eliminating Japanese beetles. Don't do it! Please. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 We use diatomaceous earth to control bugs in our gardens and chicken coop. It is all natural and very effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 :iagree: Spaying Sevin is an absolutely reckless act. It is highly toxic to honey bees (which are attracted to flowers like roses) and can kill whole hives. And it is just not a solution to eliminating Japanese beetles. Don't do it! Please. Bill :iagree: especially with the bolded. My MIL struggles yearly with those crazy beetles. Each year she does the sevin dust and each year they are back within a few weeks. The best results she has had were when she paid her grandchildren to pick them by hand. (Distgusting side note- my kids thought it was pretty like a rainbow when they stomped the beetles and experimented with stomping them on different surface to see which was the most colorful. :001_huh: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 :iagree: Spaying Sevin is an absolutely reckless act. It is highly toxic to honey bees (which are attracted to flowers like roses) and can kill whole hives. And it is just not a solution to eliminating Japanese beetles. Don't do it! Please. Bill Too late. I sprayed the ENTIRE yard and got my neighbors to spray theirs also. J/K I've been trying to catch them in the act so I can pick them off, but I haven't found a single one. I'm still searching for a solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Too late. I sprayed the ENTIRE yard and got my neighbors to spray theirs also. J/K I've been trying to catch them in the act so I can pick them off, but I haven't found a single one. I'm still searching for a solution. It is heartbreaking to hear. This kind of spraying kills all the beneficial insects in your yard and theirs. Any sort of natural ecosystem you had going is now disrupted. And that really isn't good. The risk of wiping out a colony of honey bees (who take Sevin back to their hives) is too high. And, it doesn't do any good. At this stage of life you may kill a few for a few days (something one can do knocking them into soapy water in the morning non-toxically) but you have not solved anything. You've got a Pyrrhic victory. As penance read Rachel Carsons's Silent Spring. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 When they come back, try the diatomaceous earth mentioned above. It is fantastic! I use it in my vegetable garden and have beautiful tomatoes, etc without any chemicals. I find a great combination is the diatomaceous earth sprinkled liberally and spritzing leaves with a spray bottle filled with water and a squirt of Mrs. Meyers dish soap. The leaves are somehow too slippery for the darn bugs to hang on and the diatomaceous earth cuts into them. Don't get the dia. Earth wet with the liquid. It also works for roaches, ants, and slugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 It is heartbreaking to hear. This kind of spraying kills all the beneficial insects in your yard and theirs. Any sort of natural ecosystem you had going is now disrupted. And that really isn't good. The risk of wiping out a colony of honey bees (who take Sevin back to their hives) is too high. And, it doesn't do any good. At this stage of life you may kill a few for a few days (something one can do knocking them into soapy water in the morning non-toxically) but you have not solved anything. You've got a Pyrrhic victory. As penance read Rachel Carsons's Silent Spring. Bill GEEZ, I said I was kidding .... "J/K" just kidding:chillpill: the bugs are safe. ALL the bugs are safe. I swear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 FYI....Sevin is highly toxic to honey bees for several days. It can destroy an entire hive. :( If you must use it, keep it off the flowers. But try something else. oh yeah. I forgot about that. And I don't spray it on my fruit trees until after the blooms have died. DUH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 You can pick them by hand and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. Very safe and environmentally friendly. This was one of my chores when I was a little kid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 GEEZ, I said I was kidding .... "J/K" just kidding:chillpill: the bugs are safe. ALL the bugs are safe. I swear. Oh good. Sorry I misunderstood the joke :001_smile: Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 The least toxic way to get rid of them is to get them while they are still in the soil as grubs. Things like Bacillus Thuringiensis is a safe, naturally occuring bacteria that you can apply to your lawn. The problem is your neighbors also have to do it too or their beetles are just going to fly on over and then you are back to picking. Here is a link to some info: http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/a/control-japanese-beetles.htm I'm off to figure out how to keep the deer from eating my beautiful hosta. I think they have found the "salad bar" in my front yard. The only solution to this problem that I see is to keep the dog staked out their all night but I don't think my neighbors are going to appreciate it. I don't think the dog will either.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 The least toxic way to get rid of them is to get them while they are still in the soil as grubs. Things like Bacillus Thuringiensis is a safe, naturally occuring bacteria that you can apply to your lawn. The problem is your neighbors also have to do it too or their beetles are just going to fly on over and then you are back to picking. Here is a link to some info: http://insects.about.com/od/insectpests/a/control-japanese-beetles.htm I'm off to figure out how to keep the deer from eating my beautiful hosta. I think they have found the "salad bar" in my front yard. The only solution to this problem that I see is to keep the dog staked out their all night but I don't think my neighbors are going to appreciate it. I don't think the dog will either.:lol: I thought about using that bacteria, but our entire neighborhood uses chemicals and I doubt they think twice about it, especially the people on the golf course side. I've never seen such anti-"green" people. I thought chipmunks ate grubs and we've got dozens of them. I've never been able to plant sunflowers because the chipmunks eat the seeds EVERY darn year I plant them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abbeygurl4 Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Oh good. Sorry I misunderstood the joke :001_smile: Bill I guess it wasn't really funny. I DO care about honeybees, but I sure would like to take a flamethrower to those darn beetles! I wouldn't have roses anymore but I wouldn't have beetles either :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I guess it wasn't really funny. I DO care about honeybees, but I sure would like to take a flamethrower to those darn beetles! I wouldn't have roses anymore but I wouldn't have beetles either :001_smile: I know. Japanese beetles make people crazy. Unfortunately it does drive some folks to take irrational acts like spraying Sevin. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristyB in TN Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I have a Sevin story! I was sitting on my sweet neighbor's porch petting her dog while chatting. The dog had all this white stuff I thought was dandruff. You guessed it, it was Sevin. She had also put it in a spreader and Sevined her entire yard! I had to go take a shower. About the deer eating the hosta, if you happen to have a little boy handy, ask him to pee around the plants.:D he will love you for it and it helps keep deer away! I have also heard that you can spread human hair around, but I have never tried it. When we lived on our farm (we are loving suburbia) my boys were young and happy to pee in the yard. I didn't know about the bacteria! That's awesome, I'm getting some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatA Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I third? diatomaceous earth if you are looking for an organic solution. But other than that I don't have any suggestions... :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I just read something....there are companion plants that can deter the beetles. MArigolds and garlic are 2 of them. Here's my source. http://www.thevegetablegarden.info/companion-plants?start=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 We've been able to get rid of our Japanese beetle problem with milky spore, an organic-approved bacterial control that comes in a powder that you spread on the soil. About five years ago we were plagued with JBs in our asparagus and blueberry patches. I applied milky spore in those beds about three years ago, and there have been fewer each year. This year I haven't seen any. As an added bonus, we haven't seen asparagus beetles, either. I highly recommend using bt (bacillus thuringiensis) for butterfly and moth caterpillars on cabbage-family and tomato crops (cabbage butterflies and tomato hornworms). Even though Wikipedia says it works on beetles, I didn't find it to be effective against JBs. From what I remember, milky spore works best in permanent plantings, such as in lawns and around berry and rose bushes. I applied it in early fall just before a rain, so the bacteria was washed into the soil and had plenty of moisture to get established. Diatomaceous earth is effective and will work if you are desperate. Remember that it will kill beneficial insects as well, such as ladybugs, lacewings, bees, and praying mantids. Also, do not breathe in DE or let your children handle it. (http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Diatomaceous-Earth_vq21.htm). I recommend paying your children a penny apiece for putting JBs in yogurt containers half full of soapy water, then applying milky spore in the fall. HTH, GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Another hearty vote for the Milky Spore here. We used it several years ago, and convinced out neighbor to do the same, and have had almost no beetles since. Unfortunately it is not an immediate solution--it won't kill the full grown adults, but will get their evil, ugly, little larval babies, so next year there are fewer. The bacteria grow and spread year after year, so you get better and better results each year. We had so many beetles infesting a bush that overhung our deck that I had to sweep the castings off the porch--it was disgusting to have so many beetles pooping so much that I could sweep it. Blech. They are entirely gone now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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