How To Get Rid Of Japanese Beetles?

Occasionally we find that Japanese beetles do significant damage to flowering trees and bushes. We say occasionally because it seems like these little bugs are munching machines some years and are simply annoying in other years.

If you have noticed that your fruit trees, grape vines and other flowering bushes have been reduced to a “holy” mess, you have probably been the victim of Japanese beetles. They usually hit town in early summer or mid-summer. Beetle eggs are laid on the ground and the larvae burrow in to feed on grass roots and grow. Adult beetles emerge in a year’s time and start their destructive life.

Natural Predators
Birds probably keep the Japanese beetle population down quite a bit. But these predators can’t keep up with the massive numbers of beetles that come out in the warm months. A few companies have developed traps that attract the beetles. These seem to work rather well, according to reports from property owners. One problem with this method is that the chemical used to attract the beetles brings the bugs to the property. Adjoining property can be damaged by beetles that don’t enter the traps.

While the traps work to collect hundreds of beetles, these traps won’t capture them all. Don’t place the traps near the garden or fruit trees. Try to capture the Japanese beetle away from those special locations. The beetles will die in the traps so you’ll have to empty them on a regular basis.

Some gardeners and property owners use pesticides to take care of their beetle problem. This can be effective but it’s important to keep children and pets away from the locations that are treated. Pesticides may also kill some insects that are really no problem at all, so use this method sparingly. You may have some luck with a small-mesh net. You can capture the bugs and drop them into a container that is about half full of soapy water. If you go out early in the morning, before the beetles become active, you can even pick a lot of them off your plants and put them in soapy water.

Mix it up
You can make a mixture of soap and water that can be sprayed directly on the bugs and the plants. In fact, some people report success with a soap mixture that includes castor oil.

Some fruit-tree growers and rose growers put nets over their trees and bushes during Japanese beetle season. Make sure you get nets with very small mesh so the small beetle can’t get through. This discourages the beetles from landing and they move on to another location. Timing is very important with this method, of course.

You may also want to give a product called Neem oil a try. When applied according to instructions this makes the tree or bush less enticing to the beetles. This is probably a better choice than strong insecticides. In fact, chemical treatment should not be used in vegetable gardens.

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