My garbage can still smells bad from last year when I filled it every day with grocery sacks of JBs. I always emptied the traps early in the morning so I could get cleaned up afterwards before going to work. A couple of times I used Clorox spray bleach on my hands to get rid of the smell. Ah. Good times. I do believe the plague is about done here. I see a few here and there, but no swarms. I'll be spreading more milky spore when the weather cools and we get some rain...if the weather cools and we get some rain. It is supposed to be washed into the soil fairly soon after spreading for best effect. There's no way I can water it in everywhere I need to spread it, so I have to wait for rain. Chuck

I fortunately have seen very few JBs this year, although other nasties have been munching on my rose buds. I think the culprits are grasshoppers and katydids. I recently planted roses and killed every grub that I dug up. It has been dry here. I don't know if this helps, although it's not good for my gardens or our well. I also don't have a lawn, just perennial/rose beds and gravel paths. I'm hoping that maybe the grubs aren't finding enough to eat since no expanse of lawn roots for them to feed on. A question about Milky Spore. Can it be used in garden beds or is it only for use with lawns? I'm not sure how the nematode is spread. Sharon

They get worse every year, have been swarming but I noticed they pick certain spots on certain plants and blooms. I see by all the holes that I've missed a bunch, didn't go out for awhile. I tried the 2 inches of Dawn in a spray bottle, shook to mix it, and it worked. BUT I oversprayed a lot of places and damaged several plants, both roses and perennials. So no more of that but will try it on weeds, almost works like RU. So I had part of a bottle left of Bayer Advanced Rose and Garden Insect killer. I had four but swore I wouldn't use them any more on roses. But my cat got fleas bad and I couldn't afford much then and it has the same active ingredient in Advantage you put on the cat, just less strength. I sprayed the carpet and bad places with the Bayer and Adv on the cat, $10 a pop, vet asst told me it take four apps for the cat to mop up the fleas, she was right. Just have to get away and not let the cat near it til it dries, then it's ok although some spots I had to do 3 times. Darn cat knew where the fleas were and wouldn't walk through there and made sure to jump up on something high lol. The active ingredient is imidacloprid which kills bees. So I put on latex gloves, pruners in one hand and spray bottle in the other. Zaps them. If I spray a flower or get some on a nearby flower, I prune it right off and deadhead a little at the same time. I don't have to worry about the dormant roses they swarm on or rose leaves because bees usually only stop at blooms. I go out between 5 and 6, there are a few bees, but I haven't accidentally killed any. I like it because I can cover more territory faster, clip other stuff at the same time, aim further than I can reach, far fewer get away than they do from the soapy water drowning, and it's working better for me even though I know there are tons more up in my birch trees I can't reach. If you're still doing the soapy water, 3 swarms together won't work, but if they are swarmed in a rose blossom, I cup my hand over the blossom which keeps them from flying up, get the water underneath and tease them out of the bloom, most just drop right into the soapy water but I get petals in it and pick them out. terryjean, I don't know where you are in IL, but they must really be bad in Peoria County. I read in my Illinois Farm Bureau Farm News that the crops were showing signs of heat stress and no rain and that crop dusting planes were spraying for Japanese Beetles and also fungicide. I think with the wet spring, many farmers got their crops in late, the corn was at the silk stage, and too many beetles will get an ear with no corn. I was told the soybeans could take it. I shudder to think what they are spraying, probably something commercial grade, but it will kill all insects along with the beetles. Here they're doing all these hideous transgenic experiments with animals, saw a picture of a beagle puppy; it's white nose and light body parts glow red in the dark, for real, photo was on ABC news site, makes me sick. But if they could do something with the beetles like that where they wouldn't cross into the other insect population, I'd be all for terminating them. Sorry it's so long, spend a lot of time learning about different things. Too hot and humid this summer to enjoy much out there, then drought. Finally got some badly needed rain and now with the Bix weekend and RAGBRAI, we are having our 3rd flood of the Mississippi this year.

We were seeing a lot of Japanese beetles in the past. But the last few years, they've been far less numerous for some reason. They're still around, though, that is for sure. I ended up at this site for the ear invasion topic. After doing a web search, it seems that insects crawling into ear canals is more common than one would expect or hope for. I just spent the 4th of July trying to get a creepy-crawly out of my ear canal, an experience I hope never to repeat. It was more disturbing than painful, at least at I was at the park relaxing when something large and dark flew straight at my head and disappeared into my ear within seconds. It was quick and determined. My brother jumped up to help, but it was already out of sight. This isn't the kind of situation one is taught how to deal with. The best course of action available was to jump in the lake. I made sure plenty of water got in there and kept is submersed until I was sure it was dead. Meanwhile, I tried to get it out, but I think I ended up pushing it further in. But it was a comfort just for it no longer to be moving. The lesson I learned is to not directly mess with it, other than wisely killing it as quickly as possible. I'm not so sure about trying to patiently encourage it to leave, as some people online have talked about. It's a disturbing experience to have a bug burrowing into your head. My brother drove me to an urgency care clinic. They couldn't get out and so sent me on to emergency care. The nurse practitioners were of no use, other than causing me pain. They called in the experts who, using a microscope, were able to get it out. It turned out to be a Japanese beetle, a sizeable insect. Not only are they an invasive species but with a hardened spine, specifically designed for burrowing. Having something like that heading in the direction of one's brain is not generally preferred. The medical procedures combined took several hours. It managed to get all the way in, crammed up against my ear drum. In fact, one of it's legs got hooked directly into the ear drum itself. So, I now have a small tear in it, although apparently no damage to my hearing. My method of lake immersion was effective for the immediate problem of getting the thing to stop moving. But experts advise using oil, if possible. If water is all you have, mixing it with salt or hydrogen peroxide can help. Then immediately seek medical attention.