I have seen 2 JP's so far this year which only means that in a week they will be here in full strength.

Nasty Nasty things!!!

They love dahlia's! I am not against spraying so I spray with insecticide or hand pick them and give them a crunch with my tennies. I have around 150 plants so I can't even begin to imagine covering each and every bloom with tulle. They love my silver lace, zinna's, roses and the list goes on and on and on. So out comes the spray!

Good Luck to everyone, Willow

Oh yes, the japanese beetles are eating my dahlias. They must follow the calender, every July 4 they arrive. They seem to prefer my dahlias over my roses. Disgusting things! I dusted the dahlias last night, but tonight I have to get some japanese beetle bait for my traps. They do work, the bag gets full of them. I let my husband change the bag, it just grosses me out seeing all those beetles in there. But, better in there than on my flowers.

I tell myself I'm growing my dahlia for the fall, after most of the beetles leave.

I pick JP into a plastic baggie and then lay the whole thing on sun heated asphalt. That seems to do them in in about 15 minutes. But the darn things just keep on coming.

Hi,
They are eating just about every flower I have planted this year! There seems to be more than normal around here, so maybe it is a banner year for them:(
Hope My Dahlia blooms and Zinnia's make it they seem to enjoy these the most.
LLA668984,
What is the name of the traps? maybe I will give them a try.
Happy Gardening Everyone,
Laura

You know, I can't remember the name of the japanese beetle traps, but any garden center should have them. I went last week, and forgot to pick up the bait, but tonight I am going and will definitely remember it. I'll post the name tommorow after I get it. They do work though, I was amazed at how many beetles go in there. The bait is supposedly a flower and sex lure. It lures them into the bag, and then they can't seem to get back out. Actually, the bait smells like roses, not bad at all. It comes with a bag that you change as it fills up. And does it fill up! Like I mentioned, I have my husband change the bag because I can't stand the mass of squirming beetles. Although, the bag is not transparent, so you don't have to look at them in there while its out in your garden. He's actually used some type of food storage bags when we ran out of replacement bags for it. It really does help control the beetles. We've used milky spore on our lawn too, because the beetles will go in to the lawn to lay eggs. Then you have the additional problem of the grubs (which are immature japanese beetles) destroying your lawn. The milky spore is some kind of disease for japanese beetles, harmless to humans and pets. I like to avoid the chemical pesticides whenever I can, so these methods work well. Milky spore needs to be applied once every 15 yrs, so it's not too bad. My lawn is due for another treatment now.

I'm using the traps as it is really awful here. Make sure the traps are about 100 ft away from your gardens. After the first day, the traps were full and I mean full to the top! Uck!!! but I only saw 3 beetles in my gardens.

I got my beetle traps last night. Mine are made by "Safer" the company that makes all the natural pesticides. But, I think there is another brand out there too. They cost around $5.00 (Although I got mine for 20% off) The replacement bags are about the same price as the trap itself. It comes with the bait, which is good for the season usually. But, they sell the bait separately too, so you can replace it if needed. Definitely worth the cost of the trap, it is amazing how many beetles they catch. Read the package to find out how many you need, depending on the size of your garden. I use 2, one in the front yard and one in the back. They really do help a lot.

JB bait will last the whole season if it doesn't get rained on and while coasting the net, I came across an article to change the trap so you don't have to buy replacement bags. Thank you to the person who made these modifications.

You cut the bag at the point where it begins to narrow. Next purchase a hose clamp , a piece of sink tail piece, and an empty peter pan peanutbutter jar . Cut a 1 1/2 hole in in the top of the jar lid and put the tail piece in the hole and trim it so there's just enough to put the bag over it and clamp the end of the bag down with the hose clamp. Each day all you have to do is unscrew the jar and empty and replace it back on the trap.

JB's will stop going to the trap if there are to many bodies in the trap. I guess the smell overrides the smell of the bait. My traps are 3/4's full everyday. It really cuts down of the cost of replacements.

Thank You again to the person who came up with this idea because it really works and has saved alot of my flowers and veggies and of course my wallet.