Hi Belinda...am not in the south... but have found it didn't work for me....and your right it will make your wallet thinner...:-) Franklin

Generally people that did not find Bacillus popilliae, Milky Spore disease, did not work for them either did not give it enough time to work, keep in mind that the grubs move slowly through the soil and the bacterium not at all so when the grubs do ingest some it is probably more by accident than on purpose, or did not put it where the grubs would get into it. This bacterium is probably already present in your soil, just not in enough quantity to do much good since it is mormally present in most soils. Adding more, carefully following the directions, will cut down on the numbers of grubs you have, eventually. Add to your arsenal parasitic nematodes to start working on what you have right now and let the Milky Spore disease work on future generations.
Application at the proper time is also essential. Applying the bacterium in the spring will have no affect on the grubs this year. The best time to apply the bacterium is in early to mid August so it is in the soil when the eggs hatch and the grubs are still small enough for the disease to kill them.

I have just noticed that Lowes is now carrying this product and it's much cheaper than the mail order suppliers although it's still about 30 dollars. But it is a self perpetuating product so you should only have to buy it once. People down here swear by it for cutting down on Japanese Beettles. I've not tried it as I've just moved here and don't know if I'll have a problem with them yet. Theresa.

milky spore is made for japaneese beatles only and it take 2 year work. But guess some people are to stupid to read the directions on the bag.

Milky Spore is only for JBs as poster stated, but it takes a while for them to work, are very expensive and in our area, our local university does not recommend. All the neighbors in several counties would have to use it for it to be effective for you as JBs fly for miles.

I'm still debating on whether to invest in Milky Spore. From my reading, I've gathered that it will help reduce the grub populatin in your yard but one has to remember it has NO control over adult beetles MIGRATING into the already treated yard.

My understanding of the product is no beetles will emerge from your soil to eat your plants but the beetles that come up from the neighbor's yard will gladly move over into your yard to dine.

It sounds to me like Milky Spore is a help but not a miracle.

shellva,
I think you have summed it up well. Now if a person has had them bad, that person is looking for help even if it isn't a total solution..A couple of years ago I trapped about 280,000 JBs. Yes, some of my traps were a little distance away. And yes, new beetles can fly in from unconcerned neighbors and area fields.

I noticed that the beetles tend to infest the edges of soybean fields that are adjacent to grass. They hatch out of the sod and land on the closest suitable forage or fruit.

Dear Patricia43 -
Which is your local university?
Which department?

Bacillus popillae, Milky spore disease, is a disease that affects many species of the scarab beetles of which the Japanese Beetle is one. It is common in all soils, but not in quantities that will control the grubs. If your soil temperatures do not reach around 70 degrees for several months it can take 3 to 5 years for the bacterium to become established, but once established it is there for 20 or so years because everytime a beetle ingests the bacterium and dies from it more bacterium are released into your soil. However since the disease only grows in the digestive tract of a target beetle larva you need a continuous supple of them for it to survive.
It is one means of control of the grubs in your lawn, and since grubs are not the mostest favoritest food of moles eliminating the grubs really does little to control them.

If you want to kill the migrating beetles too, then put a bucket of water under an outdoor light. I literally killed thousands of beetles that way a few years ago and now I hardly see any beetles or grubs at all. I like Milky Spore, it worked for me.

Yes, the beetles can fly in from neighbors, BUT, the beetles will likely belong to you now and will likely lay their eggs in your Milky Spore treated soil/sod. So they will die. Problem not totally solved but lessened.

Hello Folks!
It has been a long time since I visited the GardenWeb, but now is the time to roll out the gardening gear and get ready for the big season ahead! The weather should be favorable for many bumper crops this year if we are diligent with our chores.

Concerning milky spore, I believe it is aimed, like BT powder, at caterpillars. For root feeders, such as the chafe beetle grub, I have used voracious, carnivorous, predatory nematodes. These are commercially available. However, be warned, there are risks associated with them, and nematodes would not be recommended for use where children and pets make direct ground contact. Nematodes are capable to penetrate human tissues, and cause serious problems.

I would say nematode applications are "big league" agriculture techniques. But they are certain to destroy any grub problem.

See
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Heterorhabditis%2C+nematode%2C+&ei=UTF-8&fr=FP-pull-web-t&fl=0amp;x=wrt

and

http://nematode.unl.edu/epn/epnintro.htm

for more information about nematodes.

Good luck!

Green_Giant

I'm having the same problem. I have applied nematodes, but evidently I forgot to inform the armadillos, and have really upset them. Instead of little holes all over my yard, now they are digging post holes! Here's some interesting info on the little diggers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Armadillos

BelindaM, you should call your local extention office to find out the local scoop on the use of Milky Spore. It is NOT useful in every climate or in every soil type. The extension specialists in your own county will know the local situation.

Texas A&M Says: Milky Spore spray IS NOT effective at all! Milky spore disease is very specific for the grub of the Japanese beetle but does not work for the grub of the June bug in alkaline soils which we have in Texas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Answers from Texas A&M

I read the A&M link. It wouldn't be the first time A&M was wrong about something. Plus they're about as Agri-business as you can get. Their testing of organic methods is often suspect.

Their conclusion about the ineffectiveness of Milky Spore could be simply because they didn't account for it's 2-3 year establishment time.

I have no proof about the effectiveness of Milky Spore. I applied it at the proper time according to instructions about 25 years ago. I haven't had noticeable grub damage in my lawn since then. Maybe it's luck, or it's attributable to other factors or methods. A few of those years I treated the lawn for fleas, but most years not.

I live in South Texas with alkaline clay soil. The only thing milky spore or lawn insecticide treatments can be expected to do is to kill the larvae in the soil. The adults are not feeding when you see them bouncing off your exterior lights or your forehead. They lay their eggs and then die.

The prime time to treat them is as soon as you stop seeing them around your outdoor lights. They've laid their eggs and died. The larvae are near the surface, small, and tender.

When I dig in my yard, I often see a few grubs. The thing to remember is that, regardless of what control method you use, you can never kill them all. The only time you won't see grubs is when they turn into adults and come out of the ground to fly around bouncing off of things till they lay eggs and die.

rangier

"The prime time to treat them is as soon as you stop seeing them around your outdoor lights."
The disease spores should be in your soil before this so the disease spores can be moved down into the soil where the newly hatched grubs will be, so the newly hatched grubs can ingest those spores. Many people think the Bacillus popilliae, Milky Spore Disease, does not work because it is a very passive means of control, the grubs must ingest, eat, the spores. Most all soils have some BP spores in them, just probably not enough for good control. Adding more will help, eventually, but this is not a means of control for people that need immediate gratification because it can take quite some time before you see real results. The more grubs ingest, get sick, and die from ingesting these spores the more these spores are spread around in your soil.

kimmsr,

I meant to say that the best time to treat them *with insecticides* is when you stop seeing them around your outdoor lights.

rangier