They get worse every year, have been swarming but I noticed they pick certain spots on certain plants and blooms. I see by all the holes that I've missed a bunch, didn't go out for awhile. I tried the 2 inches of Dawn in a spray bottle, shook to mix it, and it worked. BUT I oversprayed a lot of places and damaged several plants, both roses and perennials. So no more of that but will try it on weeds, almost works like RU. So I had part of a bottle left of Bayer Advanced Rose and Garden Insect killer. I had four but swore I wouldn't use them any more on roses. But my cat got fleas bad and I couldn't afford much then and it has the same active ingredient in Advantage you put on the cat, just less strength. I sprayed the carpet and bad places with the Bayer and Adv on the cat, $10 a pop, vet asst told me it take four apps for the cat to mop up the fleas, she was right. Just have to get away and not let the cat near it til it dries, then it's ok although some spots I had to do 3 times. Darn cat knew where the fleas were and wouldn't walk through there and made sure to jump up on something high lol. The active ingredient is imidacloprid which kills bees. So I put on latex gloves, pruners in one hand and spray bottle in the other. Zaps them. If I spray a flower or get some on a nearby flower, I prune it right off and deadhead a little at the same time. I don't have to worry about the dormant roses they swarm on or rose leaves because bees usually only stop at blooms. I go out between 5 and 6, there are a few bees, but I haven't accidentally killed any. I like it because I can cover more territory faster, clip other stuff at the same time, aim further than I can reach, far fewer get away than they do from the soapy water drowning, and it's working better for me even though I know there are tons more up in my birch trees I can't reach. If you're still doing the soapy water, 3 swarms together won't work, but if they are swarmed in a rose blossom, I cup my hand over the blossom which keeps them from flying up, get the water underneath and tease them out of the bloom, most just drop right into the soapy water but I get petals in it and pick them out. terryjean, I don't know where you are in IL, but they must really be bad in Peoria County. I read in my Illinois Farm Bureau Farm News that the crops were showing signs of heat stress and no rain and that crop dusting planes were spraying for Japanese Beetles and also fungicide. I think with the wet spring, many farmers got their crops in late, the corn was at the silk stage, and too many beetles will get an ear with no corn. I was told the soybeans could take it. I shudder to think what they are spraying, probably something commercial grade, but it will kill all insects along with the beetles. Here they're doing all these hideous transgenic experiments with animals, saw a picture of a beagle puppy; it's white nose and light body parts glow red in the dark, for real, photo was on ABC news site, makes me sick. But if they could do something with the beetles like that where they wouldn't cross into the other insect population, I'd be all for terminating them. Sorry it's so long, spend a lot of time learning about different things. Too hot and humid this summer to enjoy much out there, then drought. Finally got some badly needed rain and now with the Bix weekend and RAGBRAI, we are having our 3rd flood of the Mississippi this year.

when bees are gathering nectar or pollen, they seem to be pretty focused on the task at hand and not bothered much by other insects or people for that matter

Here are some answers I received from Prof. Daniel Potter of University of Kentucky about Tiphia vernalis: 1. "I know of no commercial source for bulk purchase of Tiphia vernalis, although a few years ago there was [someone catching and selling them]. There is no research that would suggest buying a few hundred and letting them go on a property would have any benefit, however. Doubtless they are already there, and working subtly behind the scenes, taking a modest toll on the JB grub population." 2. To increase the number of Tiphia vernalis near you, and thus increase their "toll on the JB grub population", Prof. Potter suggests that you should PLANT PEONIES. "We also have seen [Tiphia vernalis] abundant at flowering peonies, feeding on the nectar, and even showed that parasitism rates on grubs in turf adjacent to peonies was higher than away from such flowers. So planting peonies in a home landscape may pay some dividends, although perhaps not enough to notice a reduction in JB densities." 3. The attraction of Tiphia vernalis to peonies is very specific: "We screened dozens of other kinds of spring-blooming flowers and most of them did not attract appreciable numbers of Tiphia." The Tiphia are attracted to "honeydew" produced by aphids and scale insects (that live on foliage of many types of plants), but not to flowers other than peonies. 4. To conserve (avoid killing off) the Tiphia, also follow this advice: "Avoid treating lawns with 'season-long' grub treatments, especially imidacloprid (Merit or Bayer Season-long Grub Control) in May, as that is when T. vernalis is most active. If preventive grub treatments are needed wait until June or July, which conserves the beneficial wasps." (Of course, you're doing the right thing for the wasps if you've "gone organic" and don't use any chemical pesticides.) 5. Prof. Potter also tested milky spore disease and found it to be of NO use: "milky disease spore powder (not effective in our multi-year trials; despite manufacturers' claims, there are no data supporting any benefit from its use in suburban lawns & landscapes)." 6. Prof. Potter also doesn't recommend the pheromone traps, writing "counter-productive, attracting many more beetles than they catch". Actually, I am disputing this point with him: my argument is that by attracting the beetles to one area (within a certain radius), the trap must be drawing them away from other areas, so the effect of the trap (beneficial vs. harmful) depends on where you place it in relation to the plants that are to be protected.

Courtney, Thanks for saying I am a wonderful teacher. Sometimes I really, really struggle with the best way to make a point without coming across as an overbearing organic wacko. (smiling and poking fun at self as I say that) The post in which I told you that chemical companies fund the very research that says their products are "most effective" was one of those times. I could tell you had really done your research and understood WHAT you read, but just wondered if you had thought about who was paying for that research? In many ways, the research system in this great nation of ours is evil....and not just with regards to the gardening world....how about in the pharmaceutical world as well? There is such a complicated financial relationship between the companies who MAKE/MARKET the products and the very researchers/agencies who evaluate their safety and effectiveness. I find it impossible to imagine university researchers and regulatory agencies are not influenced by the large multinational firms who market these products AND fund the research that studies these companies' own products. There is a superb book out that studies the complicated relationships that exist in the agricultural/horticultural world. It is called THE WAR ON BUGS and was written by Will Allen. It basically describes in great detail the vast ongoing collusion between the chemical firms, the university researchers who study their products AND the media. These three groups have combined to convince us all that commercial agriculture cannot "feed the world" without a heavy reliance on chemicals. I highly recommend this book. It is the best explanation of the complicated relationships/processes that I have ever seen. I linked info on The War On Bugs below. If you go to that link, read the review by Dr. Rob Williams near the end of that webpage. This is a book that everyone interested in horticulture and agriculture should read. And, how much of the chemical pesticide-related research is funded by the chemical manufacturers themselves? Research done in the 1990s found the chemical manufacturers and their industry lobbying groups were funding 66% of the research at that time, and it was increasing at a rate of about 3% a year. (As government cuts research funding, the manufacturers step in and fund more and more and more.) OK, I'll stop going on and on about the chemical manufacturers! I bought Milky Spore powder in a 40 oz. can and applied it over the 10,000 s.f. closest to the house, following label directions. When you have acreage (even 1 acre!), you just can't treat all of it, so I concentrate on the area closest to the house, yard, barn, garden, etc. If I had felt like I needed to do additional treatment, I probably would have treated a 10,000 s.f. area every year until I felt I'd covered all the area I wanted covered. Keep in mid that Milky Spore powder is a bacteria that should grow and spread on its own over time. Nolo Bait for grasshoppers works the same way--once you establish it on your land, you often have it forever after. I think I walked around with the cannister and sprinkled about 1 t. every 4 feet in a sort of checkerboard pattern. They also make milky spore powder dispensers or spreaders. I never try to treat a really large area because it costs too much to do so. I just treat what I can. Dawn