I also am in Wisconsin and have not seen them here yet (this year). I am in Dodge county. Farmerboybill, You can squish the beetles, but a lot of people keep a small bucket of soapy water on hand and knock them off the leaves into the bucket where they die quickly. It's a little more efficient than trying to catch each one. Milky Spore is basically a grub treatment and the idea is it will kill the grubs in the soil before they emerge. The problem with this approach is it will only control those that are in your soil, it won't do anything about those not on your property. The JB can fly for miles to get to food, so you can certainly try it, but I wouldn't place a lot of hope. The good news about controlling the beetles early is that once they find food they emit a chemical signature that attracts more so hopefully you can keep their numbers low if you prevent them from pigging out in your yard.

DiC, LOVED that hungry beetle drawing! Nippon beetles have not (shhhhh) yet been a problem here. Perhaps all the heirloom Marigolds i grow? Now the almost look-alike rose chafers r another bugger entirely. Two years ago they ate all the flowers offa the climbing Hydrangia vine. Last year they *really* P.O.'d me when they finished with the hydrangea and moved down-field and ate all the blossoms offa my grape vines! The local extension agent started to explain all the chemicals i could use, and suddenly my cell phone signal quit (oops). Since they r apparently a cyclical problem, I'll wait them out (like voles). This year no big problem, had climbing hydrangea flowers, grapes are about to be ripe, and unlike last year, the apple trees are very productive (my shoulder is *SOð sore from twisting the food mill putting up apple sauce). To every season, turn, turn, turn

Hope you manage to get rid of the bugs. I thought about wishing you'd keep them up there as we don't have grasshoppers so far this year as we've had before. But i don't want you to have them either. I remember how much chickens love grasshoppers.When i was little i'd catch them from grandmothers veggies and flowers and give them to the chickens. vickie

I am on an obsessive mission with them. Last year we took out all their faves and replaced them with "non-desirables". We had a big wisteria overhanging a pool deck that would be covered with them and then have to sweep JB poo off the deck - uh I don't think so... Took out all our raspberries, lots of wild grapevine. Well, they're back and just eating whatever we've left. Phlox, spirea, peonies, burning bush, daylilies ... yum yum! And my neighbors don't have them ?!