skip to main content

Japanese Beetles eating my Basjoo

18 years ago

They are back, I just found 2 Japanese Beetles chewing on my Basjoo, I put down grub killer twice this spring and they still come, It cut back alot on how many I am seeing but if the people next to you don't fight them it does not do much good. I guess I will have to start spraying.

Zonepusher

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

tropicalfreak
18 years ago
use a systemic for roses...in blue container by bayer. a basjoo being an ornamental will not matter because you don;t eat the fruit. i used it on mine here in florida and worked great. and i think the lizards may have helped too. they love the stand of basjoos.
cliff
bananalover
18 years ago
Wow, I never knew they liked bananas. I have bananas right on my porch and never had a problem but the plum tree right at the end of the short driveway is eaten up by them! Maybe you should plant a plum nearby, lol.
Related Discussions
Are there any plants japanese beetles won't eat?
Q
Comments (18)
Thankfully I don't experience the #'s of JB's where I am, although I googled for a photo, and they do look familiar. I came across several sites that said putting out the baited traps seems to attract more beetles to you then to merit the number trapped and killed. And the extra beetles do more devastation to gardens on their journey to the traps. One site indicated that to remove the bugs by hand would reduce the number of new visitors by half (only 1/2?) compared to leaving all the beetles on the plant. Too bad the grub killers harms the earthworms, that method sounds pretty good. Just a question, are all the white grubs under lawn the grubs of the japanese beetle or do some belong to something else? One year I needed to clear a fairly new sodded area for a bed (we didn't plan that well) and I could practically peel the sod back like a rug, and I would judge that there had to be 8-10 white grubs just in a square foot area alone. I had no idea what they would grow into, so I gathered and flushed down the toilet (seemed to gross to squish). Although as kids one year we had our own 'fear factor' and had picked a baby's washtub full of tent caterpillars off of our ash tree and dared each other to 'walk' in the bucket (to make caterpillar wine?) and we did. Oh to be a kid again. ~k~
...See More
japanese beetles eating grape leaves
Q
Comments (4)
I have used traps, sprays, covers and so on to control these pesky insects in Wisconsin.... we have severe infestations of them.... they defoliated my cherry tree in one day! Needless to say, since then I rely mostly on netting to prevent the contact with them. Other than that, I have also tried another method, though it is not fun. If you manage to collect enough beetles from your traps, and have an old blender, Grind those suckers up with lots of water, strain the emulsion, and use a pump sprayer with a spreader sticker added to the water. They do not like the smell of dead japanese beetles, and tend to stay away from the plants sprayed with this.... it has to be applied often if you have lots of rain ( a downfall, depending on the size of your vines) but given the relatively dry summer we have had at least, the re-application has only had to be once a week or so. Some long term solutions include adding milky spore to your lawn, this takes a while for the fungus to build up in the soil, but it kills the grubs before emerging as beetles, so I have had success with this. In all honesty, a combination of all of these will do the most good, as well has hand picking in the morning while they are inactive. I hope that this helps you out!
...See More
My Japanese Beetle Defense Plan
Q
Comments (15)
I've used a handheld vac on my raspberries. I don't know why they don't fly away at the sound of the vacuum but they don't. It worked really well. It might work on blackberries too but those are thornier so I'm not sure you can get to the beetles without the thorns grabbing you. I'm going to put up bags again. I sent literally gallons of beetles to the landfill last summer. I was able to put the bags up a few hundred feet from the house to attract them away from the yard. I'm sure I must've cleared the whole neighborhood, there were soooo many. I'm hoping to get the bags up early enough before the beetles start laying eggs for next year, which is in the first week from the time they emerge from what I've read. I'd like to figure out a way to funnel them into a five gallon bucket below the trap because the bags were too full and hard to unzip at the bottom - too gross to describe. I'll spare you. I tried funneling them into a trash bag but something tore into the bag since it was down on the ground, skunk or possum maybe. I hope whatever it was ate them all before they escaped. I don't see how nematodes could possibly make a dent unless you did all your neighbors' yards too, so I think it's good that you're not spending a lot of money on that Teeandcee.
...See More
Do Japanese Beetles eat Elderberry?
Q
Comments (3)
Yes, my neighbor two doors down grows elderberries (I'm in Michigan). When I was last in his yard checking out the shrubs a couple of seasons ago the elderberry were covered in Japanese beetles, so much so that I wondered if they acted as a lure away from my own garden because I don't have much of a problem with them. I pick off one or two J beetles from my pole beans a couple times a week.
...See More
hibiscus909
18 years ago
seriously - you can use another plant as a 'trap'. Something they will like better. Jap beetles really like roses. In my case, they really liked my Ensetes :(

seahorse
rosekuchar
Original Author
18 years ago
Cliff,

I wish we had lizards here, I have been picking them off by hand and stepping on them. I hate them.

Banana,

I don't want to plant anything that will bring them in my yard.

Seahorse,

I had a ton of high bred tea roses and took almost all of them out, they seem to like the white roses the best, it might be a color thing.

Whatever you do don't buy a bettle trap, it will bring every beetle from miles around to your yard and they will lay millions of eggs and next year you will be infested.

How do people get away with selling those things.

Zonepusher
spikec
18 years ago
I had the same problem a week ago with bettles eating my basjoos. It didn't take long for them to start doing damage. I sprayed them with Sevin and it took care of the problem.
daylahmnas
15 years ago
I have found that by planting white geranium near anything the beettles like the bettles eat the geranium instead and then they die. They prefer the geranium above all else but it is their doom.
rosekuchar
Original Author
15 years ago
I have found that Japanese beetles love certain colors, white being one so I try not to plant anything that they like to eat.
watergal
15 years ago
The blue container line by Bayer works well. Check the ingredient list for imidacloprid. The also have a spray, but I prefer the tree and shrub drench - it is less messy and it last for up to a year.

HOWEVER, WARNING - I have not tried it on my basjoo. It only gets a few nibbles occasionally. But I do use it on my hibiscus, crape myrtle and red maple. The old climbing rose and raspberries I leave for the beetles.

After several years of using the drench, I find that the beetle population in my yard has dropped greatly. Of course, that could have something to do with the droughts we've had as well.
rosekuchar
Original Author
15 years ago
This is a photo of my grove in 2007, It stared in 2004 it gets bigger and bigger every year.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:405246}}
sandy0225
15 years ago
Put sevin dust on it. You only need to dust it a few times during the season and when it gets rained off you notice it's not white anymore. Then after season, cut off the chewed places with scissors and you won't notice it anymore.
I HATE japanese beetles!

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Lakes Gardener: What to Do In July

By Barbara Pintozzi

Gather juicy berries and breathe in the lovely scent of lilies, but don't forget to stay on top of watering needs and shake off the beetles

FRUIT TREES How to Grow Your Own Juicy Plums

By Marianne Lipanovich

Easier than other stone fruits and with a variety of colors to choose from, plums are a versatile garden addition

GARDENING GUIDES Lessons in the Rewards of Selfless Gardening

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Let go of gardening for your own vision and watch the garden’s own true vision come forth

COOL-SEASON CROPS Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Grow Radishes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Fast growing and bright, these easy-care veggies are great for kids and bring plentiful color to a fall or spring garden

REGIONAL GARDEN GUIDES Great Lakes Gardener's June Checklist

By Barbara Pintozzi

Hear the berries beckoning? Pluck them while enjoying the wealth of garden blossoms and maybe kicking out a few bugs this month

0

EDIBLE GARDENS How to Grow Your Own Luscious Cherries

By Marianne Lipanovich

Nope, they’re not the easiest fruit to grow. But with spectacular blossoms and pies as possibilities, cherries are sure worth a try

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Bid Bad Garden Bugs Goodbye and Usher In the Good

By Matt Kilburn

Give ants their marching orders and send mosquitoes moseying, while creating a garden that draws pollinators and helpful eaters

GARDENING GUIDES We Bust 4 More Native Plant Myths

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Have you been taken in by these fallacies about gardening with native plants?

FALL GARDENING 7 Reasons Not to Clean Up Your Fall Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Before you pluck and rake, consider wildlife, the health of your plants and your own right to relax

EDIBLE GARDENS Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie

Sponsored

Urban Upkeep LLC

6 Reviews

Franklin County's High Quality Painting Expert

More Discussions

Im trying out the banna peel in water. How much do i diliate it?

0

Musa basjoo, winter dormancy?

0

Anyone growing Musa Coccinea

0