Thomis: Milky spore is available in two forms, that I know of. There is the pure spore, available in small amounts, but best purchased in 44 ounce cans at a price of about $80. Nominally, one of these cans can cover 10,000 sq. ft., but in actual experience will cover much, much more, if you are able to properly distribute it. Applicators sold with the pure spore consist of a long, cardboard tube with the business end equipped with openings much like a can of ground black pepper or other spice. You fill the tube with pure spore, than walk along bumping it on the ground, attempting to drop anywhere from 1/2 to 1 teaspoon on a recommended 4-foot grid. This procedure is necessarily imprecise, but the objective is coverage, not precision. I have found, by actual experience, that I can expand to an 8-foot grid or even larger with little to no loss of effect, and the amount dropped with each bump can be miniscule. I used three 44 ounce cans on my own acre, but took a single leftover can to my son's place where I did two acres. All of my Japanese beetles were gone within about one year, but so were his. That taught me something. This is a biological product, and if conditions are right, it will propagate itself over a very wide area. It spreads by infecting beetle larvae in the ground, which then explode and produce millions of new spores. It slows or stops propagating when it runs out of larvae to infect. I applied milky spore to my place in July, and did my son's property in August, but I don't think it makes much difference what time you do it during the summer months. A common formulation of milky spore sold today is a granular product, consisting of a very low percentage of active ingredient mixed with a carrier designed to make it possible to apply with a broadcast spreader. This makes it more convenient to apply, especially if you already have a broadcast spreader (the cardboard tube applicator costs a little over $10). Whether you choose the pure or spreadable product is a choice for you to make, but in terms of cost I think you get a lot more active ingredient on the ground with the pure spore, at the cost of a slighly more complicated method of application. I have found milky spore to be effective against a range of beetles much wider than I originally thought. In addition to eliminating JB's, it has also wiped out the tan/brown night feeding chafer beetles (that love plum leaves) and even the larger, green June beetles. When I applied, I had plenty of product (about $300 worth) and went about 40 feet into my neighbor's properties on three sides. That may have helped me, and it certainly helped the neigbors. Whether you mow before, after, or during the application of milky spore is irrelevant to the action of this product. The point is to get it on the ground, and it may be helpful to have a little rain shower after you do to wash it in. I suppose that if you mowed right after application, while the pure spore product is still dry, it might actually help to spread it between the grids where you have placed it with your dop stick. Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

It does work but it also take some time to build up in your soil. If you've got serious issues right now you might try a couple of other approaches. Nematodes are very effective against grubs of all types while they're present in the soil. And if you're having repeated issues with grubs you might be overwatering early in the season. Beetles will burrow most often in soft wet soils to lay their eggs. If you water less frequently and let your soil get a little harder between waterings you might make your lawn a less attractive host for them in the first place. Lawns should be able to tolerate 10-12 JBG per square foot without significant damage and you'll get very good control with a kill rate of %60 so your margins for control of Japanese Beetle grubs are smaller than most folks imagine.

So I ended up doing the application tonight. We've had almost no rain and there is none in the forecast for the next week and it's the perfect time of year for this application. I stripped down to my shorts and wore flip-flops, put on some gloves and wore a dust-mask. I figure the main danger (even though non-toxic supposedly) is inhalation but other than that I wanted to be able to hose off and contaminate the least amount of clothing (I have a wife and 2 kids, one is a 2-month old). I wear glasses but didn't put on sealed goggles, so made sure to stay upwind at all times. Again probably overkill but better safe.... Grabbed an old plastic teaspoon measuring spoon and a 3 1/2ft section of gutter to use as a guide. I put the teaspoons of powder evenly spaced out with the guide and then hand-watered the lawn focusing on the white spots until they were gone. You get a bit of loss when the water first hits the spots and it goes into the air but I'm assuming it's a very small percentage. All in all it was an easy but somewhat tedious job. I had read a lot of bad things about the overpriced and junk applicator so the hand method was definitely more back-breaking and time-consuming. But it was free and worked well. Thanks for everyone's help and hopefully I can report back next season and find some milky grubs underneath the soil.

OK. Personally, I would rather have no lawn, no roses AND no flowers than use things like Grubex and other grub killers, which are TERRIBLE for pets, birds animals & children, water quality and persist in the soil and migrate to others' lawns and air, giving people who don't want those poisons no choice just like second hand smoke except pesticides, much worse. Whoever asked about beneficial nemotodes, they won't survive if you've used Grub-Ex. Milky spore will survive that crap though. I was inundated by Japanese beetles about 4 years ago. First I treated with Milky Spore, next beneficial nematodes (timed it before 3 days of rain, they die if the dry, but they work quickly. I also set some preying mantis babies loose. Last year really only enough Japanese beetles that I could crush them with my fingers and this year nothing. Please, Plaase look at your lawn and love the dandelions and the clover and the natural lawn. Why are people so obsessed with working all summer to get a lawn that looks like a boring green rug. Grow some wildflowers. Love your children and your neighbors' health rather than your boring lawn. Do some research and look at labels before you buy weed killers and pesticides and don't believe the things that Tru-Green (formerly ChemLawn) tells you. The guys that come to treat your lawn have a few weeks training and their bosses are guys with high school educations brainwashed by chemical companies. Think about why you think it is so important to have the "perfect" lawn. Is it because your friends and family won't like you if it isn't perfect. What matters? Here is a link that might be useful: Poison in the Grass