Here in Kansas we rarely see JBs--at least not down in southeast Kansas. I usually see only 2 or 3 of them and that's it. I read somewhere that Kansas does something to try to keep Jbs under control, but I don't remember now what it was. I believe some kind of wasp goes after them--I got lots of different kinds of wasps, so maybe that keeps the JBs out of my garden as a whole--usually.

But this year (after the big drought last year), I saw about 6-8 JBs today in the back garden, on Earth Song and Molineux. No big deal, I'm aware, compared to the inundations some of you experience, but it concerns me that each year there are a few more and then a few more the following year.

It also puzzles me that I only see them on those two roses in the back garden. Since a lot of my roses are resting between cycles right now, that might explain why they aren't on the other rose bushes, but Braveheart is bursting with new red blooms right now and not bothered--so far--by JBs, nor are the scattering of blooms in the other beds.

I'm new to all of this, but have read the horror stories many of you have shared over the past few years. I worry about even this small increase in my garden--don't want any of those full-blown horror stories occurring in my backyard!

Mark, do you have any sense that the milky spore is helping?

Kate

I don't have a sense that the milky spore is working. I just don't know. Plus, I doubt my milky spore was watered into the soil well enough last year due to drought and the little effort I put into watering it in last year.

I read that drought is devastating to the JBs. They can't easily get into the ground to lay their eggs, and the grubs need the moisture to survive. When I hand-shoveled my vegetable garden I found only 2 grubs this year. In past years I would get 2 or more grubs per shovel of dirt. I was surprised to see about 200 JBs on Day 1 on my roses.

I think possibly spot spraying JBs on the rose blooms helped. The spray only kills on contact; there is no residual benefit. My goal was to kill them before their phernomes attract more beetle friends. This is my theory for why it went from 200 to 10. But the other efforts probably did not hurt.

They are attracted to the darker roses only when their numbers are greater. They start out going for the lighter whites, pinks and yellows.

The first observed JB showed up in my garden this year on July 3rd. Their numbers should be smaller in my area this year because of the hot & dry summer last year that should cause a high mortality in the grubs because of the dried up grassy areas, except if you live in an area where there are large areas of irrigated grass. Using milky spore, nematodes or grubicides on your lawn will keep your grass looking good but will do very little to protect your roses & other plants that adult JB's feed on. Below is some info from a previous post I made about a new insecticide that I tried last summer.

I tried a different insecticide for JB's late last summer that seems to be significantly better than Merit or Sevin which are both contact killers & only gave me about 2 days of limited control. I live 2 blocks from a large irrigated University athletic field so JB's are present in unbelievable numbers in my yard. This new pesticide is called Demand CS & it appears to have both a residual kill & repel affect on the JB's for about 10 days so hoping I only have to spray 3x a month. Below is a link to a rose blog where I found out about this spray.

If you use Demand CS, it is sensitive to the pH of your water so you should use Indicate 5 or something like it.....Indicate 5 is available at rosemania.com.

Here is a link that might be useful: rose blog

This post was edited by wirosarian on Sun, Jul 7, 13 at 11:46

I've seen a few here in the last week. I don't get a ton, thank goodness! Even the few I get do enough damage. For sure they prefer the paler colored roses. Dainty Bess, Quietness, Elle, Peace, Garden Party etc. are the worst hit. The dark ones, particularly the reds, Veterans' Honor, Crimson Bouquet, Intrigue don't seem to be bothered much. I don't spray them with anything but we do use Milky spore on the lawn in the spring. I just pick them off where ever I find them.

The JBs were the worst infestation ever last year I had ever experienced. Due to the early warm-up of March temperatures here in the Midwest, the JBs showed up early in late May and stayed through August. However, the drought was the worst here since 1988, with hardly any rainfall.

I spotted the first JB munching on a clematis two weeks ago, with just handfuls since then. 'Garden Party, South Africa', and other light-colored roses are their entrée choices. Even my 'Snow Fountain' weeping Japanese cherry tree has remained untouched, which is a prime target of the little beasts. It's a pleasure to have roses during the Summer and not shredded foliage and blossoms.

The JBs seem to have come back a bit more this week.

I started using a spot spray consisting of a Bayer product Friday, July 12 that says it will last beyond the initial contact. I have dead JBs lying inside rose blooms. This spot spray seems to have helped reduce #s and discourage some from coming. I still have a few drifting in but I also have several untouched flowers, which is an improvement from a year ago.

I haven't really noticed any here in southeast Nebraska this year, but a rose buddy of mine up in Omaha says she's inundated with JBs during the summer. It might have something to do with her more rural location, with nearby fields that might harbor the little beasts (I'm in an older suburb). I'm pretty tolerant of rose pests and diseases if they don't harm the plant, but I'm sure I'd notice if I saw a lot of JBs flying or doing the devastating kinds of damage people report further east.

I don't spray anything stronger than Liquid Fence, and don't use Milky Spore or other lawn controls, but we tend to have dry summers that might discourage JBs. I do watch reports of JBs moving further into this part of the midwest, though.

Cynthia

East report,

I have not seen any here yet...

At least in my garden (Chicagoland) have seen less than 20 this year, last summer was thousands! I also attribute it to the lack of rainfall last year and the constant high temperatures. More rain this year will probably = more Japanese beetles next year.

Now blackspot is a different suject, this is the worst year ever! I guess I can either have flowers or foliage but not both!

I spoke too soon...they emerged with a vengeance last Thursday afternoon 7/11 and are HUNGRY. They literally stripped every rose blossom in my garden. The odd thing is they are leaving the loosestrife alone, which is a favorite target. I estimate they are about 3 weeks late.

We have had major infestations in Cedar County , Iowa. We saw many apple trees in the Mechanicsville area with their leaves brown and completely stripped of tissue. I sprayed my apple orchard, raspberries ,peach tree and grapes vines with Bonide Fruit tree spray and had to respray with Eight( 2.0% Permethrin) in the evening. We have been on this acreage for 11 years and did not get an major infestation untill last year. Grub control and traps are ineffective fro trees and vines as ISU extension notes that they can fly in from a 5 miles radius. They are moving west as are the emerald ash borer but at a much faster rate.

I think I've seen less than a dozen this summer. I have a linden tree next to a rose bed which usually makes for a jb paradise, so it's definitely strange. Like terryjean, I have a couple South Africas and have seen almost no damage to date.

Inundated here in rural Mi. We are surrounded by fields with corn, soybeans ;etc. Applied milky spore last year after terrible infestation last summer, frankly do not see improvement here. Mowing the grass produces yard full of JB's flying in front of you. JB 's loaded on any color roses and leaves if no flowers, including especially Robusta red. Devouring hibiscus leaves as flowers not present, and Rose of Sharon. I'm Removing roses, climatis as they appear, its very disgusting. They fly up on me and bang into my face- gardening out of the question today. Mad, Mad! Seems it Is the serated edged leaves they prefer when flowers are not present?

I still have not seen any here...

Sorry to hear about some of you really getting
badly infested by them....

JB's have been very low this year in Ohio as well. They started about July 5th or 6th and I haven't seen even close to 100 in all, more like 50 total. Low temps are to blame here I think. Yay!