Mark: Any JB's hit with a spray of Sevin will be moving in only one direction, and that is straight down to the ground. Sevin has great knockdown power for JB's, but, unfortunately, little residual effect. So it's best to wait for a buildup on their favorite plants, then hit them when there are large numbers present. JB's do like raspberries, but I have never seen them on strawberries or tomatoes. My son has a purple leaf decorative plum that was severely infested 3 years ago. I gave it a thorough spraying with Sevin, and it literally rained beetles for the next 10 minutes. I subsequently treated his property -- 3 acres -- with only one 44 ounce can of milky spore, and he has not had beetles since. This was way below the recommended application rate, but that one can of pure spore was apparently enough to infect the numerous grubs in his soil and he now has total control. I spread the spore very thinly with the tube applicator on about a 10 foot grid. It took me several hours to walk his property and make the application. Milky spore is also sold in a mix intended for application by broadcast spreaders, but this product is quite low in the percentage of pure spore, and ends up being considerably more expensive for what you get. It is, however, easier to apply. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

DH hired a lawn service this year and I came home one day to find a "pesticide in use" sign in my yard. Grrrr. I wasn't happy. I have no idea what they used. I do plan on applying GrubX since I don't know what they used, it will be an expensive proposition, that's for sure (40k sf of lawn). I think I will get the traps and place them far away from the gardens, I can easily place them 100-300 feet from my house and still be on my own property. Since I can put them so far from the gardens, between me and the neighbor, so you think they might work? I have no intention of emptying the bags, I'll have DH do it! Do you think the defoliated roses will make it? One is the white knock-out, one is a David Austin and the other is an heirloom climber. The pink Knockouts are the current meal, I'll start drowning the little buggers tomorrow. As much as I hate the JB's, I hate the lily leaf beatles even more (I have no lilies because of them).

Catbird. where did you get your traps? and do they have the female lure inside? I have been hand picking mine off and throwing them in a bucket of soapy water. It's weird, but I have only one rose bush that attracts them, a tall growing one that I have trained up a support. It's in the middle of my mixed border of bedding roses, daylilies, blackeye susans etc. Beetles never even look at them or my crepe myrtles. My beetles are very choosy about their menu.

Hi, I'm also plagued with the devils here, although I can't say that they have any color preference, and as they adore Hibiscus syriacus leaves (no signs of flowers yet) it's not specifically a scent issue either. As an experiment I put up pots of white geraniums and placed them next to two roses including their favorite meal (my Hansa rose - I've forgotten what a flower on it looks like, although I do recall they were fragrant). As you may know Hansa is not white, yellow or pink, but a deep magenta color. I had read that white geraniums were a delicacy and the beetles would eat the flowers and fall intoxicated beneath it. Well, it's been nearly a week and not one floret has been damaged. Last year I tried the same experiment with pink geraniums with the same results......Oh, love to spend more time weeding or enjoying my garden instead of hunting Japanese Beetles all day long.