How specific are these Japanese Beetle traps? I am afflicted with a close relative-the nocturnal Chinese Beetle. Wonder if the traps would work?

First, thank you for all the information on that page. I didn't know the bags need to be changed once a week, thought just when full. Gross, but I will endure it.

It's a little cumbersome for me to rig up that modification, but I saved it and will try to figure it out. In the meantime, I'll just get more bags. I only have 2 traps, 2 spare bags, and this should last only 6 weeks here. I can see it on larger properties.

I don't understand the bags with that narrow neck other than if they do drop through, it would be harder to fly up and escape. The beetles get stuck in the neck, and I try to pull it apart so they will drop on down, afraid too many will accumulate in the top and possibly get away. I DO see how your modification would eliminate that possibility; they aren't going anywhere with yours.

It's not trapping them all for sure, and I know I'm drawing more in but overall might help where they are in my yard that I am not seeing. At least fewer to multiply the ones I do trap or drown, may be a losing battle ultimately here in town where a lot of people don't even know what they are or that the grubs for them are in their yards as well as mine.

I have had very few JBs as well and I do believe it is because of the GrubX I have been using to treat the yard. I am luck that I live in a Condo Assoc so our front yards and common areas are treated a couple times during the year as well. Plus I know some of my neighbors us the traps. What I find intresting is my neighor has a red HT and the JBs barely even touch it but they love my shrub roses with pink. cream, or white blooms.

They love my pink and especially yellow ones, don't recall finding any on Dark Lady last year (only red with blooms).

I don't think my trapping is making that much difference. I'm finding just as many as I did last year so far on the roses that are blooming, and my yard is pretty small and think I may have the traps set too close, no place else with any sun to put them unless I put just one in the back yard.

As to spreading for grubs, there's no way I can do all that. I need pre-emergent crabgrass spread and didn't get that down, am paying a worse price than I would have if I could have. A company would charge me too much for all that needs done with the lawn, and I can't do much of it myself, get too tired trying to mow any more, especially on my terraces which are harder, the rest I could probably still do.

I have done nothing to eliminate the JB from my garden. For a couple years in a row, I tried the drowning method. But I after my morning walk through the garden, I would have 3 inches of JB in a five gallon bucket. They were successful in crawling all over each other to get out of the soapy water. It was beyond gross. And even removing that many beetles, they still devoured ALL of my roses.

This year, they were very late arriving and they are in such small numbers that most of my roses are left alone. My Carefree Sunshine they are devouring, but I only see a few in the rest of my garden.

It is wonderful to be able to enjoy my roses in the summer.

Kathy

I have done nothing the last year or two against them.

Still I have very few.

I believe it is because of our weather. Here it is the 4th of July and still morning's are cool. Normally hot, hot by now. It has to affect the hatching of these critters. I have a can of soapy water sitting on a rock at the edge of a bed. So far nothing in it.

Having said that tommorrow I make wake to see hundreds of them!

This is my third year with roses, and I've always read with great horrors about what those JBs do to our roses. Until this morning I had never encountered a single one. Like I said - until this morning. I was doing my round and saw a big hole in one of the blooms of Golden Celebration. I dug around in the flower and pulled out a Japanese Beetle. And then another inside one of Bishop's Castle blooms. Now I'm paranoid. I hope this isn't the beginning of a gigantic swarm to come. We use Grub-Ex and I even bought Milky Spore, but what good will it all do me if all of my surrounding neighbors don't apply anything for those things? GRRRR.

---
Wendy

PS. I never thought I'd be able to squish a bug in between my fingers, but I did, and it was so disgusting.

I would recomment decapitation over squishing for beetles. Easier on the fingers and stomach of the administrator of death.

I've been away for a week, but have less than normal this year. But a bit more than last year. I think the drought is still affecting how many there are (there were so few last year, so fewer to reproduce for this year). But I do try to kill as many as I can so they cannot lay eggs for next year.

With so much rain in the forecast, I don't know if we'll get GrubX on my lawn by the end of the month in time or not. So now I'm thinking about Milky Spore again after I reread that post about surviving Maine winters (which may depend on which part of Maine).

I don't think our frost line is 3 feet down, maybe it is 36", not in my front yard facing south which is sunny and melts off the snow before anybody else in the whole block, think I was told something like 18 or so inches. Now I need to find out if spreading that can be postponed until fall even though the ext ofc guy said get GrubX down by the end of this month (to kill the newly hatched larvae).

Went out extra early this morning, none in their usual haunts (they'll be around later). So one is glaring at me defiantly from a large Stargazer Lily bud. Is nothing safe from them? Then I found 2 on the struggling clematis on the east side where I hadn't seen any yet and near where I moved one trap, got all 3. None in the back, doesn't mean they're aren't any there but I check pretty thoroughly, just can't bend and look at all the undersides of leaves.

Now I'm wondering if they light on some plants just to wait for a mate or to mate or rest but not eat them.

One poster said she got rid of hers by cutting off all her rose buds. Another ag guy last year suggested that. I'm willing to sacrifice blooms, but the upside of blooms is that if they are going to be on anything, that is the best place to find a great number of them BUT they attract more powerfully than leaves unless I have certain other trees & shrubs they like. Then if I do cut off buds while it lasts, I fear they will just eat the rose leaves instead like they've already done on several.

No buds or blossoms are immune, have found a few on new buds with a little color showing, but I'm noticing that they seem to like best blooms that aren't freshly opened but have been open more than a day.

Anyone in my zone successfully use Milky Spore like my neighbor is planning to do?

I'd like to know more about the experiment in Nashville?, too, but their frost line may be almost nothing. It sounds like they just did the one app that time, but I need to know if you apply it both in the fall and in the spring.

I am absolutely swamped with them! This is my 3rd year with roses and the worst year by far. They arrived 2 weeks earlier than usual - June 22. It's been hot, humid, and not a huge amount of rain this month. April was one of the warmest months here, and May was cooler than usual. Whatever the conditions..they were ripe for these disgusting critters to wreak their havoc. I usually see lots of beetle bags in the neighbors yards..I see very few this year..darn it! It has really lessened my enjoyment of my back yard which is usually a peaceful haven for me. The worst is when they land in my hair!

I've blathered on and on but missed one crucial detail. ONE beetle after years of trapping for anntn6b, plus I don't know if she lives on a large property in town or country. May be a good year for her and bad for me and never had 5 inches of them in a 5 gal bucket, oh my.

Read up on Milky Spore, am supplying one good link, apply once to lawn and garden, how it works, when it works better, etc., bear in mind the mfr wants to sell it. Sometimes it takes 3-5 years to get going which may be why some felt it didn't work & neighbors should use (mine is planning to and I'm last on the corner) so what do come in should have to fly further at least.

Also read about beetle paste spray (last resort), they don't like 4 o'clocks (claim was something in the flowers kills when they eat them), and one person claims she saw a praying mantis (rare around here) claiming one as a victim.

Found a brown prune juice jar w/cap, will try to have another one by next year and have her basic or modified design ready to go. I can see the accumulation but can't be seen by walkers and kids unless up close.

Will still bag and pick and possibly contact spray for huge clusters (prob not this year unless worsens). Had to go out for something else and found a couple more. One on a yellow bud I started after, reared up its hind legs, so dunked the whole bud in my soapy water, sometimes the whole bloom if I can and must. It gets messy when petals fall in, pick them out but carefully because they will try to cling to one to get out or change water and start over. Anything to get just one more w/o losing it like I do some. Then you have to scrape them off under the water and they cling for dear life or try to grab your fingers but let go, would not work if a large # of live ones in water still. Different strategy for where they are perched, also the sudden flick. I can bear it.

Three now I've found swimming in standing water I have out (change it often - mosquitoes), they do swim forever, so I transferred them to the soapy water so can sure see why you do add the soap.

Here is a link that might be useful: Milky Spore Disease Powder and Granules

I have had very few JBs this year. It could be because the bloom cycle is late and there isn't much for them to chew on. I have used the traps and drowning method in previous years. My friend across the river in NJ has plenty of JBs. Go figure! Is Harry out there with his JB update?

Interesting... I have had few here in Roanoke. Makes you wonder if it is a cyclical thing. Of course we have had a moderate drought, if that makes any difference. I would never get my hopes up that there was some sort of biological control that had restored some balance.

Aliska,
My rose gardens are out in the country. We own 163 acres and there are an additional fourhundred acres of hayfields within a half mile of us; the rest are woods.
When I first planted roses, one neighbor came up delighted because he said it was the first year in decades when he had had sweet corn because the corn tassels weren't devoured by JBs for the first time. (His corn crop was about 3/10 of a mile from my roses.) So we trapped and killed JBs (by the bushel full) and he gave us freshest sweet corn.

But doing nothing wasn't an acceptable option.

anntn6b, thanks. I rather thought you might be. That's wonderful but a big responsibility to manage all that property.

I wondered how it affected agricultural crops, principally corn, soybeans and hay for those with animals. On our farms we have I guess it's a sharecropping arrangement, and it is principally corn and soybeans. I wondered how the JB's affect these farmers. Sweet corn is one thing, but if they only eat the tassels on field corn, probably not a problem because they now buy new seed every year, shell the corn and store until it's time to sell. And I'd rather it not be GM but it is.

I'm having trouble figuring if tassels are all they eat, why it is such a problem other that market appeal. Plus I'm old fashioned and much prefer the all-yellow sweet corn, and I couldn't find any last time I was at the farmer's market or roadside stands. Everybody likes that salt and pepper better because it's sweeter. I eat it, but the only way I can get yellow corn is at the store which I seldom do because it isn't fresh. I was told farmers can use field corn for eating off the cob when it is still very young, then it gets too tough.

So you lured all his beetles to your property. At least you can place your traps right. Glad your efforts are paying off.

Tonight I got the bags ready for the garbage and put the other parts in the garage because it is supposed to rain, I tape the holes, and my roofs haven't been tested yet. I will put fresh bags on in the morning and put them back out.

I added a weapon to my arsenal. A very bad one for midday when clusters are getting away. Methinks you would not approve. I'll use it if I have to, but will continue picking and dunking. I'm hoping they will start to phase down and the worst is over but I'm too new at this. At least if I had done my dream and lived on one of our farms, I could place the traps more strategically; I'm so new to all this. I SHOULD be spraying for BS and bought a pump sprayer to use with Orthonex. I can't figure out how to put it together. My son said he would help. You wouldn't approve of that either I'd wager. I can't find the receipt to take it back or might have today.

If you have a lot of roses, I'm guessing you don't hand pick the bugs. Maybe it works so well for you now you don't need to. I have to and am fed up with the whole business. Only two this evening, one on a rose bloom and one on a yellow coreopsis. Just when I think . . . .and me the purist who never wanted to spray with dangerous chemicals. I sure appreciate your sharing your storehouse of knowledge with us, a real eye-opener about a lot of things.

Ann - I think your control methods have helped in middle TN ! I've only had one JB too this spring. I'm almost afraid to whisper that for fear they'll hear and make a JB-line to my garden. Of course I've had a terrible time with other leaf eating insects to make up for it. Also deer, rabbits, etc. (though the Liquid Fence I put around the garden has made a great difference with the animals eating my roses!).

mary1nys...i am in central n.y., too? send me an e-mail..i'd love to know where you are!
i have only had a very few this year, too. i was up to my hips in them last year. we had a mild drought here last summer, too.the only thing that i've done differently is get a new mower that mows very close to the ground..i was wondering if maybe the birds were getting them as fast as they emerged? i seem to have alot more birds on the lawn this year. whatever the reason..i like it! donna

Anntn6b, congratulations on your persistence and success without toxic chemicals. Thanks for posting the trap design, they are so easy to empty and clean.

Don't know if it's a fluke, but I have very few JBs so far. All this spring I sprinkled whole corn around my property, which attracted the grackles, who stayed and apparently ate lots of grubs in the lawn. I also put out lots of traps last year and caught lots and lots of JBs.

Has anyone used the organic products Rose Pharm and/or Veggie Pharm? The manufacturer reports that Veggie Pharm kills adult JBs on contact...

This year, no traps, just a bucket of soapy water...and everything is going well. Sure the Ballerina climbing rose has been attacked, but it bloms so much I am not worried. The soapy bucket is much better (more efective) this year, due to the weather, probably. I think those traps attract more beatles than they kill. I have between 0 and 4 beatles a day on one rose bush, as opposed to hundreds on all bushes as in past years. As we discussed though, the weather probably contributed. I am not a fan of spraying, and I enjoy watching the little bass tirds drown...lol.

I have had about 4 JBs so far this year. They've never been a problem here. Does anybody find that the birds eat JBs? We have lots of birds, even before I regularly started feeding them. I swear I saw sparrows picking aphids off my roses.

Eric

I have just learned the depressing news that JB's have made headway into Oklahoma. Not in my area yet, but still they are here. I've only half paid attention to the plight of people with JB's because in OKlahoma we have so many other disease, weather, insect problems that the one bright spot was that we didn't have JB's. I didn't even know until recently that they ate the leaves of plants as well as the blooms. How do you cope with the yearly devastation? Better yet, why do you cope with it?

I was born and reared in Virginia and my earliest bug memories are of Japanese Beetles on my Grandmother's roses and in my Grandfather's garden.
I cope because I can.
And because I've studied the why's of this and I think this is do-able.
But doing nothing isn't an option for me.