I was going to post this very same thing last night! Saw one on one of my rugosa roses yesterday afternoon.

#@(!*@#!$*@!!!!!!

I knock them into a jar of soapy water and drown them (I'm sqeaumish, so I use a stick to knock them in there). I found that later in the evening is the best time for this - after a day spent gorging and orgy-ing, they're quite sluggish just before sundown and easily plop to their death.

I better go out and check my Rugosa Roses now that you mention it.

I've been doing the soapy water thing, too and it has worked so far. They were eating my echinacea and dahlias like there was no tomorrow the early part of the week! I plopped them in the soap and water for about 4 days and haven't seen any for 3 days. We will see if it will hold.

There are some organic products people use, but from what I've read, they repel and do not kill. If you do not kill them, they will burrow in your lawn, lay eggs, and multiply. One female can create 60 beetles per season. So you need to treat for grubs as well. Milky Spore may or may not work in my zone and is expensive. I'm going to try to get some Grub-X down but don't like killing earthworms.

One product is Bye Bye Beetles, used by a rose grower in the southeast and recommended, an organic and repellant. See link. I may try it at some point, but didn't want to wait while it shipped and can't remember the cost.

Saw my first one June 21 which was early, picked a few off and squished, started the soapy water thing. Then I cut back all my repeat blooming roses and am watching the rest of it. Haven't seen any since but that is not to say they will not find my echinacea, cherry trees, rose leaves, pussywillow or preference du jour.

If too many come back, I will spray with Sevin. My primary reservation was bees, but if there are no flowers to attract bees, there's not much chance of harming them if I spray early am or late pm while they're out. My cat heaven knows what he gets his paws into roaming around, everyone treats their lawn, and I did for the first time this year in quite a few years, just got too awful, hated to do it, and nowhere near got it all, but much better.

Some people cover their roses with nylon net and cut off the blooms which are the main attractant. Hated to sacrifice the blooms but won't use anything with imidacloprid because it kills bees, saw it myself, and has residual action. Also Sevin won't protect newly-opened buds. Pyrethrin knocks them dead (in time), think it's an organic, but doesn't last as long as Sevin.

Then there are several home remedies involving concoctions I found recipes for on the web by googling, said to test on a small area first. Some of the ingredients are chili peppers, garlic, dishwashing liquid, lemon juice, vinegar, not all in the same recipe.

A lot of rose people use Merit which you pour on the ground, must be done earlier and is a systemic, but if I'm not mistaken, it contains imidacloprid, bees again and other beneficial insects, does not discriminate.

Good luck. My roses don't do a whole lot except two so let the perennials provide the color, didn't want to go through what I did last year again, in the hottest days, ruined that whole part of summer stewing about the dratted things.

The only hopeful thing on the horizon is that some are reporting seeing some with eggs on their thoraxes? (white spots) and may or may not kill those. Those are laid by a parasitic wasp that destroys them when they hatch. But the gol darn things will mate first for sure as they do it sporadically before they die. I haven't seen any like that.

There is also an ongoing experiment at the U of Michigan which involves innoculating adult beetles which will spread a killer virus from one to another, have been given to a few gardeners to test, but if it is safe, who knows how long before the rest of us get access to that?

There are no known predators, some say ducks, maybe turkeys, chickens may or may not eat them but can't possibly get them all. No bird I know will eat them. Praying Mantises will, but it would take thousands to make a dent in bad outbreaks where they can number in the thousands and millions.

That sums up what I've found so far. Hope it's helpful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Peter Beales Organic Plant Health

Funny you mentioned sacrificing the rose blooms - I was doing a little housekeeping outside this evening and decided I would do just that tomorrow. I'm going to cut off the hips, as well. Hate to have to do that, but that may be the trick that ultimately keeps them in check this year, since I only saw one the other day and a couple this evening.

Sigh....

My big flush was late this year, just as I'm really enjoying it I have to sacrifice it - well, better that than witnessing beetle orgies on every bush

*!@%$#!(~&^$#@ !!!

Big sigh . . . .
I hate them!!!

I found one yesterday as well. In another thread, someone said the JBs arrived in Indiana; so I stated they would probably be in my area (central Ohio) the second week of July. Wrong!

My roses have all finished blooming, so I lucked out this year in that regard. Makes me wonder what they will munch on now since the roses are gone - my Virginia Creeper and porcelain vine for sure.

I also noticed the neighbor has a trap hung up already in their yard, so far I think it's empty. I knock them into soapy water as others do, morning and early evening. They love to be in hot sun.

"*!@%$#!(~&^$#@ !!!"

I hear you. I hate them, too, was never one to be squeamish about bugs, but seeing them like they do is sickening.

Many people in my area aren't even aware of them because this is about year 5 for us since they've appeared. But here's a cautionary piece of information. Just because they don't have flowers, doesn't mean people are immune to them.

Last year my old mailman makes a stop in the afternoon across the street, saw me out picking. We got to chatting about it, and he said he went to work one morning and came home to see his newly-planted elm tree completely defoliated, don't know if it survived or not.

I already have them too :(
Can't stand them. Some years they are worse then others.
I hope they don't bother my tree this year. There is nothing like looking at a tree in late summer that looks dead from the demolishment of every leaf.

Well, I'm going to be even more agressive, as cutting off all the rose blooms and pruning them back wasn't enough.

I found and drowned about 20 yesterday, and this is just getting started. They were mainly on my cherry trees, damaged some upper leaves pretty badly, glad I checked. Also on a rose leaf, a daisy, my pussywillow, so it's all-out war now.

They're even on my once-bloomer rose leaves, probably because I had traps set by them last year, so I may spray those as well.

I'm either going to use Sevin or Bayer Rose & Flower Insect Killer because they have residual action. I figure there's not much risk to bees so long as I don't spray while they're out, otherwise I hate using anything with imidacloprid in it but cannot afford to lose my cherry trees and can't stand them hanging around.

I'll still have to patrol for strays with soapy water. Plus I ordered tyvec coveralls because I don't want that stuff on my clothes, etc.

Here in NC - I found my first last day of May! I don't let them eat during the day if I can help it.

I sneak up quietly (during the day they are so much aware) and have had pretty good luck but better luck in early morning and evening. Still, I have this "evil" laugh as I see them swimming for their lives.

Then the other day, for just a slight moment - I felt a little guilty, but that didn't last too long :0)

Carrie

Yours came early. I'm so glad they don't here because then they might have ruined my once blooming roses, bloom late May and done by early June, glad I have those even though people want blooms all summer.

I do day patrol, too, they can eat a lot between morning and night especially if they decide to swarm. Hot afternoon sun draws them out. One day at a time. I never liked killing things and only check to make sure I got them in the water. I use a little soap in it because they die much faster, 2 minutes or less. Otherwise they can swim for a long time, and if you collect a lot, can climb on the backs of the others and fly out.

I have about the same skill getting them in the daytime as in the morning, take advantage of their tendency to drop, was out really early, there was a menage a trois going on the willow, and I think one of those got away. I'll stalk that one later.

I'm even squishing them in my fingers now if I don't have my water handy. It would have been unthinkable last year but, like I said, this is all-out war lol.

I hope this spray stuff works, still have to go pick some up as I only have a half bottle of Bayer left from last year. The Bayer says it can be used on trees and shrubs, too. When my trees get much taller, I'll have to go the Sevin route because this is going to happen every year no matter how hard I try to keep the population down, and a hand sprayer won't reach.

Even found one on my monarda, is there nothing they won't leave alone? Those I can't and won't spray until the blooms are done, just watch and pick. Bees, butterflies and maybe hummingbirds again.