What haven't the Japanese Beetles destroyed in your yard

16 years ago

There just doesn't seem to be much in my garden that those #@*#%@#^# won't feast on. It is so discouraging to see all that they have all but destroyed. I am about ready to dig up and throw away about 90% of my plantings. The things they haven't touched is a very short list. I have not seen them on:

Liatris

Rudbeckia Goldstrum

Sedums

Dianthus

Daylilies

Phlox Paniculata

Hosta

Salvia East Friesland (but they have destroyed May Night)

Nepetas

What has been safe in your gardens?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (18)

a2zmom_Z6_NJ
16 years ago
I actually haven't seen any JBs this year. Normally I grow hollyhocks which is a buffet for them, but since I didn't this year they never showed. Even when I do gow that plant, I think my worst day was maybe 6 or 7 beetles. I consider myself very lucky.

A good friend had her zinnias destroyed this year.
bean_counter_z4
16 years ago
gazania's list plus:
agastache
hydrangea
asiatic and oriental lilies
foxgloves
ornamental grasses
many annuals
tomatoes
Related Discussions
Roll call - Have the Japanese Beetles arrived at your house?
Q
Comments (45)
The JBs have arrive here. I have had a few on one of my young peach trees. I have had a few on my rose bushes. I see a few holes in my beans and cruciferous vegetable plants. But actually I have seen very few. I applied Milky Spore last year, but then it did not rain and I didn't water it down to well, so I doubt it took. I think it was the late spring that has kept down their numbers. They are a social bug and seem to gather in numbers after a few arrive and find it hospitable. I am spraying early to get rid of the few in hope that the many do not arrive.
...See More
What natural plant pest-repellents haven't worked for you?
Q
Comments (10)
I am in agreement with comments above... the single most important thing you can do to reduce pests, in my opinion, is provide healthy soil. It is not often mentioned that most plants _do_ have defenses of their own; what we consider to be "flavors" are often chemical defenses against insects. Provided that the plants are healthy enough for those defenses to be effective, they can often fend for themselves. Cucumber beetles, for example, are attracted to compounds given off by plants under stress. This could be caused by disease, inadequate water, or previous attack by other insects - such as squash bugs. Given a high organic matter, pH-balanced soil with good drainage & adequate water, plants are healthier & less attractive to the beetles. While there may still be some present, their population is considerably smaller. The second thing, as mentioned by Lacyvail, is to create (or at least not discourage) a local ecosystem that encourages beneficial insects. It has often been mentioned by those who purchase those insects, that it's hard to keep them around. To do so, you need to provide a food supply for all points in their life cycle. A wide range of flowers, with long or overlapping blooming periods, is helpful. In addition to perennials _near_ your vegetable garden, plant annuals _in_ the garden. And for the larvae - which represent your true resident population - you might need to learn to tolerate enough of an aphid population to sustain them. If you are accustomed to killing off your aphids early, you might be inadvertently destroying the next generation of ladybugs & lacewings as well. For severe infestations, it might be more effective to go after the ants (which usually spread the aphids) rather than the aphids themselves. There may be some truth to companion planting; I rotate all of my vegetables each year, and have noted some good combinations (such as beans & Swiss chard). There are also some plants that don't play well with others, such as okra. If your garden is high-intensive/high-density, then it is more important to know which plants _do not_ grow well together, than it would be with conventional methods. But I think that for the most part, the issue is not which plants grow with which - it is to grow as wide a range of small plantings as possible, as opposed to large blocks. Large blocks of anything (mono cropping) promote the easy spread of insects or disease, and provide a stronger scent trail for flying insects to follow. When I began saving seeds seriously, it forced me to alter the way that I gardened. If I wanted pure seed, I had to provide space & barriers between different varieties. This meant that my beans & tomatoes, for instance, could no longer be grown together in one place, but were spaced out in different "cells" throughout the garden. In any form of experimentation, there are often unexpected results... and in this case, the fringe-benefit was an enormous reduction in insect damage. This is not to say that I have no damage - only that it has been reduced to the point of being (usually) tolerable. One last note... to encourage greater soil fertility, about 10 years ago I began to leave clover alone when weeding. I would still pull it out if it was directly in a row, but in paths & between rows was OK. After years of this, I now get a good stand of clover in the garden. When rabbits get in (as they always do) they prefer the clover in the paths to almost all of the vegetables. I guess that makes it a "trap crop" for rabbits. ;-) Only when I began to grow soybeans did I find something they like even better (and "like" is an understatement).
...See More
Your monkeys have been Japanese Beetle hunting!
Q
Comments (4)
It could have been a battle of the bands, where the Arctic Monkeys bested a Japanese Beatles tribute band (think I'm kidding? -- see link below)! I haven't dialed a wrong number lately but I did receive a wierd call last night. Some young dude inviting me to "the jam" -- loud hip hop music blasting in the background. He eventually realized I was old enough to be his mom and hung up. Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Beatles
...See More
The asiatic garden beetles have destroyed everything!
Q
Comments (2)
This is an older thread but it's exactly the same problem I have. For a while I was wondering why so many of my plants were losing their leaves down to the ribs and less... I couldn't find anything on them and had no suspects until one day I dug up a couple small brown beetles hidding in the soil at the base of the plant. After a little looking around on the internet I came across a comment about going out at night with a flashlight..... ugh. I tried it that night and the little beetles were all over the place. I was also one to never really cared enough about the lawn to do any chemical grub control. The lawn was healthy enough to tolerate the damage.... but this has me (almost) rethinking that. Coleus used to be so reliable but now my nice overwintered cuttings and cuttings of cuttings are mostly leafless stubs. I guess I'm just venting here. I think they don't last all summer. If I get motivated I'll head outside with a flashlight and do some brushing into a soapy bucket treatment. Just don't want the neighbors to think I'm too far off the deep end. As it is I spend way too much time in the yard.
...See More
rusty_blackhaw
16 years ago
They will eat daylily flowers given a chance.

I find it easier to keep track of things they love, since certain plants draw more than their share of attention (roses, crepe myrtles, Oenothera fruticosa, cannas etc.).

Still, the beetles haven't been as bad as in past years and regular spraying has kept damage to a minimum.
kydaylilylady
16 years ago
The only good thing I can say about them is that they love smartweed.....

Janet
mxk3 z5b_MI
16 years ago
Y'know, I've noticed that their favorite dinner in my yard is my rugosa roses, they seem to leave everything else alone (fortunately). Once in a while I'll see one or two on my hisbiscus or oakleaf hydrangea, which is easily taken of. Left to their devices, they congregate on the rugosas, one in particular is their absolute favorite for some reason - Wildberry Breeze. Oh, they'll nibble on the other ones here and there, but they devour that WildBerry Breeze. *^@$!#@ BEASTS!!
myloki
16 years ago
daylilies
salvia
big red perennial hibiscus (Lord Baltimore?)
coreopsis
phlox
clematis
snapdragons
petunias
canterburry bells
echinops
lantana
Sad, its a pretty short list.
-Stephanie
gazania_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
I have 10 areas or small beds of perennials and or shrubs. All perennials in just 1 of these plantings is free of JB's. It is a small teardrop shapped bed. In it are:
Sedums.. Bertram Anderson, Frosty Morn, Vera Jamison, Angelina, Matrona
Lemon Thyme
Persicaria affins 'Border Jewell'
Salvia 'East Friesland'
Solidago 'Lemon Drop'
Lilium 'Lollipop'
Lady's Mantle
Euphorbia 'Polychroma'
Echinacea tenn. 'Rocky Top' ( in other areas, E. Magnus,White Swan, Ruby Star have been trashed)
Dianthus 'Frosty Fire'
Shasta Daisy 'Snowcap'
Chelone 'Hot Lips'

In this same bed, the Euonymus 'Rudy Haag' has been hit hard.
Two other shrubs in my yard that have been hit hard are my new Hydrangea pan. 'Quick Fire' and Kousa dogwood.

The Butterfly Weed has escaped and also the Baptisia is undamaged. Geranium 'Biokovo' and 'Jolly Bee' have had very little attention from the J.B.'s, but Patricia and Clairidge Druce have been trashed.
xmpraedicta
16 years ago
Has anyone tried using biological control methods, like milky spore?

Check this out.

I feel really bad for you guys :( I have slug infestations, which I'm sure are much easier to control, but I feel the pain.
diggingthedirt
16 years ago
I have hardly any more problems with JB; I applied milky spore 2 or 3 years ago and see very few of these now. *However* my yard is full of Asiatic Garden beetles and Oriental beetles. The Oriental beetles are tan and black, and apparently not susceptible to MS. The Asiatic garden beetle is coppery brown, and I'm not entirely sure if MS has any effect on it.

Somehow I don't notice the damage to plants, possibly because these bugs don't congregate to the same extent that JBs do; presumably they don't have the same system of announcing to their friends when they've found a delicacy in your garden.

These other scarab beetles DO damage plants, though, especially in the larval stage, when they feed on plant roots.

My main defense is turning on the light in my swimming pool for an hour or so every night - both of these are lousy fliers, and not such great swimmers either.
robynpa
16 years ago
This is the 1st year I have had them. I have found them on my Super Dororthy Rose and the Climbing Hydranega. I pick them off and drown them in a jar.
rusty_blackhaw
16 years ago
Perennial hibiscus (including 'Lord Baltimore' and other hybrids) is a Japanese beetle favorite in my experience.
carol23_gw
16 years ago
About 3-4 years ago I applied Milky Spore. It takes a few years before it has ultimate impact. Last year I had a lot more beetles that completely defoliated Polygonum amplexicaule 'Firetail'. The crape myrtles sited in afternoon sun were also hit hard. I haven't seen Japanese beetles on these plants this year.

There were quite a few beetles on Rosa glauca and a hanging basket of New Guinea Impatiens in previous weeks. From what I've heard, there is some sort of trail left behind so beetles re-visit the same spots. Each day I picked off and crushed the beetles which were subsequently eaten by the catbirds.

For about one week I've not seen any Japanese beetles in my garden.

While visiting a garden in Lancaster County, I was told by the owner that Virginia creeper kept the beetles out of her garden. That vine was severely eaten and was growing on the side of the barn, far enough away from her perennial beds.
bellarosa
16 years ago
I rarely, if ever see JBs on the following plants in my yard:
-agastache
-yarrow
-coreopsis
-daisies
-rudbeckia
-ladies mantle
-catmint
-salvia
-Russian sage
-coneflowers
-helianthus
-heliopsis
-liatris
-phlox
-aster
-solidago
-daylilies
-heuchera
-anemone
-obedient plant
-Joe Pye weed
-veronica
-monarda
-lambs ear
-mums

They LOVE my roses, especially William Baffin, the Fairy, and John Davis. They also gorge themselves on my white clematis and I also, find a few on my burning bushes.
bogturtle
16 years ago
Amazing variations. I applied grubex last Summer after going away for two weeks, late June, and returning to a plague.
Rose of Sharon
Roses
sensitive fern
porcelain berry
lilac
grapevines
raspberries
and more
Applied milky spore disease two months ago. (terrible expensive) and grubex, a month and a half ago. Went away again, same time, and returned to find only a few.
Less that 3 dozen beetles this year, mostly on the porcelain berry vines and roses with some on the Rose of Sharon and a few other plants. Vast improvement, and I will spend the money next Spring.
I am in a clearing in the woods, so the ones from my neighbors and their lawns may not get here as easily as they do in some places.
christie_sw_mo
16 years ago
Mxk3 mentioned that her Japanese Beetles have a favorite rose. That's what I experienced the first few years that I found Japanese Beetles. They seemed to all congregate in the same place. They liked one of my crape myrtles but left two others alone that were the exact same kind. I think they're just attracted to EACH OTHER so don't be too quick to blame your rose. Now after having Japanese Beetles for several years, I don't find as many on that crape myrtle but find a few on nearly everything in my yard. They've spread out and I expect them to spread more. I couldn't understand why at first there were dozens on my crape myrtle but none on my roses or cosmos like other people were experiencing. I think they definitely have favorite things to eat but suspect if I removed all their favorites now, they'd just eat something else.
gazania_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Applying anything to the ground seems to me to be a moot point. I am on 3/4 acre, heavily planted with trees, shrubs and perennials. My yard is bordered by 3 neighbors yards who have few ornimental plantings. They could not care any less about Jb's and would have no interest in doing anything to control them. Am I wrong in thinking that milky spore would be a waste of money? I had a lawn care company come in and put down a grub control in early June. I do have fewer jb's this year than last, but not a lot fewer. I have been making rounds 3 times a day since seeing the first jb. Each round nets 50 or so in my bowl of soapy water. Finally, the last 2 days the #'s are dwindling. Yesterdays drownings numbered about 60 total. I am doing this from a handicapped scooter, so I miss about half as many as I succeed in catching.
aliska12000
16 years ago
Nothing except some rose blossoms, haven't had too many but a nuisance to maintain a constant vigil. Have found them on petunia, clematis, a potted stargazer, and plumbago, but no noticeable damage to those.
brose
16 years ago
They love my Zinnias, grrrrrr. I have to admit, though, this year they haven't been nearly as bad as in the past; I use 7 dust. It seems that once I scare them away with 7, they don't come back for a while, but I do dust three to four times a season.

Grrrrrrrr to the little nemesis!!

Brenda

What haven't the Japanese Beetles destroyed in your yard

Comments (18)

a2zmom_Z6_NJ

bean_counter_z4

Related Discussions

rusty_blackhaw

kydaylilylady

mxk3 z5b_MI

myloki

gazania_gw
Original Author

xmpraedicta

diggingthedirt

robynpa

rusty_blackhaw

carol23_gw

bellarosa

bogturtle

christie_sw_mo

gazania_gw
Original Author

aliska12000

brose

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

What haven't the Japanese Beetles destroyed in your yard

Comments (18)

Related Discussions

gazania_gwOriginal Author

gazania_gwOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

gazania_gw
Original Author

gazania_gw
Original Author