June 11 Pekin, Illinois (25 miles from Peoria)...two weeks early.

Last year I had an infestation of Biblical proportions...not sure what to expect this year; but since they're 2 weeks early, that's not a good sign.

I saw one the other day, but that's it. Of course, I don't have a lot of blooms right now. But my rose of Sharon is blooming and they usually like that and the magnolia flowers. They don't eat the magnolias, but they like to have orgies in there. That's where I grab them and drown them! HAHAHAHAH!!!!

I saw a cousin - June Bug - the other day chomping down on a bloom of Tuscan Sun. We don't have JB's yet although I hear they may be close. If what the June Bug did is the same as what JBs do then it's disgusting. They seem to gnaw in chunks leaving behind a black sticky goo(sap?)on the ruined bud and it didn't make the slightest move to get away once it knew I was there. It's like you don't exist. The next day the June Bug returned to finish up what it had left the day before. How did it re-locate that one bud?... I mean this sincerely, I pity all of you with JBs.

First one today, June 12th in Louisville, KY. More to follow, I am sure. Most of my roses are resting now after a glorious first bloom. Daylilies and lilies and cone flowers are kicking in. Maybe the beetles will see few roses and travel on!!! Now that would be nice, huh?

I saw my first JB one on June 5th. So far I am picking just a few (5-6) every day. Afraid the numbers will start increase exponentionally now. The good thing is my oncebloomers are done with their bloom for this year and repeaters are between two blooming waves, so not too many flowers to eat right now.
Olga

Saw my first beetle on Friday, June 4th, and three more the day after that. A rose friend one county south of here sent me a photo of his first beetle on June 3. No huge infestation yet ... she says, apprehensively. Like Olga, there aren't very many flowers out there right.

Connie

Historically ours have been July 3/4 timeframe. I will be interested to see if they show up early, since we had a hot April here in IL, everything bloomed a week earlier than usual.
Last year, we had a very cold winter, and they were a couple weeks later. But they still came in droves. I am not getting any more roses than what I have now and integrating more other perennials. They are too much to take anymore and their season is too long. They last from July-August-September ending at the end of Sept/early Oct.
I may try milky spore again, tried it a decade ago or so, didn't see much if any difference.

It's Ridiculous.

Hi SC - where are you in IL, if you don't mind sharing? If milky spore didn't work for you, there's probably no sense in me trying it...especially sense I live in rural Pekin/Tremont and have 2.5 acres surrounded by corn and bean fields. I've often wondered if I was too far North for it to work.

-terry

Milky spore works for me in northern Ohio zone 5,

June 16, 2010: first JB spotted and squished, plucked off of my Pope John Paul II that has miraculously come back for at least one more year.

What exactly is the process with milky spore? How do you go about applying it?

Concerning Milky Spore and its application, this link seems to have covered the topic rather completely:

http://www.hffinc.com/MilkySpore.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

I found my first one this morning -- sort of in a groggy state in the dew on my Rosarium Uetersen (not even a rose that JBs particularly like!). Well, he is not groggy any longer...

Saw what I think might be my first JB--and I don't mean first JB of the season--I mean first JB ever!!!! There were three in three separate blooms of Mayflower and one in a Double Delight bloom. They look like the pics I've seen of JBs, but were much smaller than I expect beetles to be--so I'm still not 100% sure.

As far as I know, there have never been JBs in my region. If they have finally arrived here in southeast Kansas, I will be as miserable as the rest of you. The only good news is that mid June is usually down time in my gardens, as far as the roses are concerned. They are resting after their big spring flush, but should start blooming again in another week or two. Maybe the JBs will be discouraged with nothing very good to munch on right now and move on to other regions in search of better food? (I should be so lucky?????)

Arghhh!!!

Kate

Hmmm--maybe I lucked out? The suspicious looking beetles have disappeared. Perhaps Kansas birds have developed an appetite for JBs? Or we have lots of those special kind of wasps that are supposed to kill JBs? I read some years ago that Kansas had done something to suppress or halt the progress of JBs into the state, but I don't remember what it was. Whatever it was, I'm relieved!

My heart still goes out to those of you being overwhelmed with JBs.

Kate

I saw my first on the 18th...

he was dispatched posthaste...

I haven't seen one since which makes me think they sent in a test dummy who drew a short straw to assess the situation...

Hopefully they saw the dark juices squirt from his crunchy little carcass, shuddered in horror, and have move on to somewhere with a lower mortality rate! :)

Rob

I saw my first one on June 19 here in upstate NY. Ughhh!

Kate, I would like to order some of your Kansas birds and wasps. Please send them immediately to me here in Illinois.
I guarantee they will be well-fed.
-terry

June 20 - I saw my first JB on Mary Magdalene. This is a little early for them. They ususally show up around July 4. I have a second flush on some of my roses. Bad timing!

Oh Terry--I would if I could! You have my sympathies.

In the meantime, I'm giving friendly greetings to all the birds and wasps in my garden--just in case they are the "good guys" !!!

Kate

I saw three singles in the blooms of three different rose bushes June 18, and a few in other rose bushes since then. They were out in greater force today, orgying away on a small sassafras tree (where I catch most of them) and one of the lilacs. Got several while I was mowing the grass, since they were on some kind of weed that was growing in the grass.

They intimidated me three years ago when I put in my dozens of roses. I even had dreams/nightmares about them, and hated them so much, that I was about ready to rip out all of the roses.

However, I've calmed down, and do beetle patrol with soapy water in a modified gallon plastic milk jug twice a day, sometimes oftener if I see them while I'm working in the garden. Each week I bundle the jug with the carcasses into a plastic bag and put it in the trash just to be sure the eggs inside them leave the property. I love it when they're doing group sex, since they fall into the jug more easily and never know what hit them. The singletons sometimes fly away.

I still hate them, but get a great deal of satisfaction every time I knock one into the jug. I make all kinds of comments to them--if my neighbors heard me, they'd think I was nuts!

Anne

dublinbay(Kate)

I saw my first JB last year and it was just one which I quickly caught and drowned. Didn't see another one after that. Someone had mentioned that Kansas had done something to slow there progress. Well it turns out that they release a parasite that attacks the grub and kills it. So we might see some but nothing compare to what the others have to suffer through.

Came here to read posts on rose black spot, but will drop into this thread. Saw my first JBs tonight here in Wayne County Ohio on my big wood ferns in the orchard, four of them. I squished them, but I'm sure they are the first of many; and they love this hot humid weather. The rose in the orchard will be next and then my Virginia Creeper on the garage. Oh joy.

No JBs yet here in my Northern Michigan garden, but the rose chafers and rose leaf beetles are certainly here. We only had a few JBs last year - hope that's the case again!

June 22 killed two today.. a week earlier than normal.. usually its around july 4th weekend.

Silverkelt

Someone had mentioned that Kansas had done something to slow there progress. Well it turns out that they release a parasite that attacks the grub and kills it.

Thanks, mori1, for reminding me of what that was. Seems to be working so far.

What I don't understand is if that parasite works in Kansas, why aren't other states releasing that parasite also?

Kate

I think they might have in Michigan since we got the information and possibly the infected JB from U of Michigan.

Saw my first JB last weekend. Ugh. Wish NJ was doing what Kansas is doing. Since we started treating our lawn for grubs, the JB problem is less than it was, but it's still a pain.

They're here Chicagoland. All over my Heritage rose this morning. A week early. We did have a very hot (80s) April. Maybe they'll leave early. I will just have to plant some new daylilies to offset the roses I will be cutting off the bushes. (no more outdoor roses).

Is there an optimum time frame to apply milky spore in zone 5?

Saw my first one in the Chicago suburbs today. I had to do a double take because it seemed so early.

Sigh.

They're here now in NE Ohio! Eating the leaves off my Maria Stern rose. Ugh! It's always that one rose! I wonder if I can spray just that rose this evening? I hate to spray, but the leaves are devoured in a day! Dratted beetles! I try not to spray if I can.

Spotted these 2 uglies in the ant moat of our hummingbird feeder this morning. They are officially deceased!
I haven't seen these guys for years, but, there back now.
:-(

{{gwi:287656}}

I post this in another forum but because of the thread title it may not have been seen by many.

Perhaps the following 2010 scientific paper may be of use:
"For azadirachtin there was a significant effect of white grub species (F = 86.8; df = 1, 24; P Use the PDF "find" command with the keyword "japonica" to see all of the references to Japanese Beetle control or lack of same.

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

The link below reports on injecting a systemic, in this case Neem (with azadirachtin), into a plant to protect against feeding beetles. I wonder if injection of Neem or other systemics would not be a safer way than spraying when fighting Japanese Beetles.

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

I have another thread where I posted my pics to make sure what I have is Japanese Beetles.

Henry,

I have not seen any evidence of JB grub infestation in our yard. If JB's is what I have, they flew in from somewhere else. So, Milky Spore would not help me at this point.
I need to have a grub infestation first to spread the disease. Milky Spore does not work without grubs being present.
Then, you have JB's flying in from other locations to feast.
You can't stop that from happening.
If we ever get a decent amount of JB grub damage, I may apply Milky Spore, then just knock off into soapy water the JB's that fly in from other locations.

I have no idea, nor do I know what to say about the injection of azadirachtin into roses.
I do not fully understand the articles that were presented.

I'm absolutely inundated. They are everywhere, and my roses are in the middle of another flush at the moment. I've had JBs for the last 2 weeks, and they are so thick that they hit me in the head when I'm outside painting or gardening.
My neighbors now think I'm the "crazy plant lady with Tourette's" after watching me whack them out of the plants and into the bucket, all the while laughing like a maniac & spewing four-letter-words at the ones that get away. I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before I see a video of myself on youtube.
By the way, nothing chemical has worked. Not the grub treatments to the lawn, Sevin, Merit, garlic-water spray, soapy-water spray, zero. The only thing that works is annihilation via thumb and forefinger. It's a lot more satisfying, too!

Our season started about 2 weeks earlier than in years past. Not too many yet, but I'm sure that will change, as we usually have TONS. I microwave a cup of water & knock them off into it....they die instantly! :0( Phyl

The reason that I sugested the injection method is because Neem (with azadirachtin) is a known Japanese Beetle feeding deterent, see:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/qp61j71457266867/

Some roses (such as the climber Illusion) appear to naturally deter Japanese Beetles. It would be nice to be able to "innoculate" our favorate roses with Neem or another systemic.

Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

Yea, that would be nice Henry.