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Saw my first Japanese beetle of the season

10 years ago

Imagine the weather this summer has set back emergence. Now I do realize that considering I live in an apt and my gardening is limited to my 3rd floor balcony and trips to my folks' place or sister's does lower the odds of my seeing them, but still, I usually see them before now. (Although they do seem to be rather uncommon up north where my folks are no matter the year. Instead, the rose chaffers are the main pest up there.)

But anyway, found it munching away on my Amorphophallus Konjac. Put the little bugger to good use -- fed it to one of my spiders.

Comments (8)

DelawareDonna
10 years ago
Paul, I'm still seeing the occasional Japanese beetle. They loved eating my crepe myrtle flowers this year. But otherwise its been a pretty mild season for the little buggers. Tell me, what possible use do they serve on this planet other then to destroy?

DD
dg
10 years ago
and the stinkin' grub worms feed the moles :-P

Deb
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I'm absolutely inundated. They are everywhere, and my roses are in the middle of another flush at the moment. I've had JBs for the last 2 weeks, and they are so thick that they hit me in the head when I'm outside painting or gardening. My neighbors now think I'm the "crazy plant lady with Tourette's" after watching me whack them out of the plants and into the bucket, all the while laughing like a maniac & spewing four-letter-words at the ones that get away. I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before I see a video of myself on youtube. By the way, nothing chemical has worked. Not the grub treatments to the lawn, Sevin, Merit, garlic-water spray, soapy-water spray, zero. The only thing that works is annihilation via thumb and forefinger. It's a lot more satisfying, too!
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MissSherry, I had been wondering if they could be planted in containers and left there indefinitely, but I see that you don't think it's a good idea probably. I know they would die back over the winter here if left outside and I guess come back in the spring. The reason I was thinking of letting mine in a container all summer is because I heard that they can become invasive and was concerned about that. I don't know if there is such a thing as that happening up here or not considering our temperatures in the winter. Even if I could keep it in a container all summer, there'd be the watering I'd have to do probably every day and also the lugging in of the big pot at the end of the season because I think it would probably need more room than a one-gallon container...I think. I can see why you'd want to let yours in the pot until it would get a little bigger. Someone had given me a start of P. incarnata late last summer, which I planted in a one-gallon pot and kept out in our cool laundry room all winter. It died back but now I see a few small sprouts and am still trying to decide whether or not to leave it in that container, plant it in a bigger one, or plant it outside in the ground. Cathy
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I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner and rather than toss out the water that my kids didn't finish, I brought it outside to water my zinnias. And it was then that I noticed that two of the leaves, had that famous lacy pattern. I said outloud, I wonder what's been eating you. And I looked around and sure enough, two Japanese Beetles were munching away. I went into the garage and pulled out my neem oil, mixed up a batch and set off spraying. Dang, I hate these bugs. This will be my first year using neem, so I hope it works well. Oh, both buggers are no longer of this world!!!
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Remove plants and trees that they eat. I removed a nicely growing Littleleaf Linden (Tila Cordata), although it never flowered, because by every mid August it's top half was left almost leafless. What's the point of keeping it, you only live once. Jap. B's eat in the afternoon, more importantly, eat in the sun. So any susceptible plants you have that can tolerate afternoon shade, will fare better from JB's if you move them to an afternoon shade location.
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sidney1515
10 years ago
When I had plants that drew Japanese beetles I was forever emptying Jap-B/traps and feeding them to my chickens. It sure made those yokes big and yellow. . .The hens loved me every time I brought them a bucket of those nasty things. . . grody. . I almost swore off eggs for awhile.
Since I got rid of most of my plants that were major favs of the Japanese Beetle I don't see too many anymore.
don_in_colorado
10 years ago
They don't look THAT bad...
don_in_colorado
10 years ago
Actually, I just saw one today, for the first time this season as well. I crushed it.

Don B.
ci_lantro
10 years ago
I had never seen one until this year...had to google to figure out what they were. They love pole beans and even ate on the cannas. I'm still battling them. Smashed over a dozen yesterday, six this morning and four this evening.
hostahillbilly
10 years ago
DiC, LOVED that hungry beetle drawing! Nippon beetles have not (shhhhh) yet been a problem here. Perhaps all the heirloom Marigolds i grow?

Now the almost look-alike rose chafers r another bugger entirely. Two years ago they ate all the flowers offa the climbing Hydrangia vine. Last year they *really* P.O.'d me when they finished with the hydrangea and moved down-field and ate all the blossoms offa my grape vines! The local extension agent started to explain all the chemicals i could use, and suddenly my cell phone signal quit (oops).

Since they r apparently a cyclical problem, I'll wait them out (like voles). This year no big problem, had climbing hydrangea flowers, grapes are about to be ripe, and unlike last year, the apple trees are very productive (my shoulder is *SOÃÂ° sore from twisting the food mill putting up apple sauce). To every season, turn, turn, turn
gogirlterri
10 years ago
I get prepared for the invasion every summer. They really love Hibiscus making the leaves look like lace and boring holes into the unopened flower buds. But this year my Hibiscus are done with their first bloom and I've not seen a single Japanese Beetle-and I am NOT complaining.

DiC-that is a Ninja Beetle if I ever saw one. n :o)

Theresa

This post was edited by gogirlterri on Sun, Sep 1, 13 at 8:21

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