skip to main content

New England Gardening

Brown beetle (pics) please help ID

12 years ago

The winter moth seems to be gone, the cottony maple scale is being treated, and now this:

Just in the last 2 days I've seen four of these guys (I had a few last year around this time, and they loved my dahlias). Two have been on the screens, one in the house and one on a dahlia. Any help with ID and treatment would be great! Thanks a lot

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

pixie_lou
12 years ago
When I googled "Dahlia Pests" I came up with a flea beetle. The flea beetle is only about 1/16" long - which is hard for me to judge from the scale of your photos.
jillyluis
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for looking, my pest is definitely bigger...these guys are around a half an inch long.
Related Discussions
Beetle ID please...(pic)
Q
Comments (9)
Here's a site describing the difference between the false potato beetle and the potato beetle: The false potato beetle (sometimes horsenettle beetle), Leptinotarsa juncta, is a beetle found primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern regions of the United States. Adult beetles emerge from the soil in the late spring or early summer and begin breeding, and a population may go through one to three generations in a summer. The false potato beetle feeds on solanaceous weeds, such as horsenettle, Solanum carolinense. It also feeds on other solanaceous plants, such as species of ground cherry or husk tomato, Physalis spp., and bittersweet, Solanum dulcamara, but no growth and reproduction occurs when feeding on the potato, Solanum tuberosum. L. juncta can be easily confused with its close cousin the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata. While the adult false potato beetle has alternating black and white strips on its back, just like the Colorado potato beetle, one of the white strips in the center of each wing cover is missing and replaced by a light brown strip. The eggs are slightly larger and fewer are found in a cluster. The hump-backed larva is similar, but with only one row of dark spots on each side. The two species, L. juncta and L. decemlineata, can be found on the same solanaceous host plants but are apparently incapable of crossbreeding. Of the two, only the Colorado potato beetle is a serious pest.
...See More
What in the world? Mites? Scales? Please help I.D. (pic)
Q
Comments (8)
They are difficult to get rid of, especially if you don't use pesticides (which I don't). I spray the entire plant with soapy water then I get out the Q-tips, dip them in diluted rubbing alcohol and go over the entire plant. Those little buggers like to hide, especially in hard to reach areas. It's a good idea to go over the plant with the Q-tips every few days because they will inevitably reappear. I also wash down the affected plants with a strong spraying with the hose often. If you have beneficial insects they really help keep them in check. You also want to make sure that they haven't spread to any plants nearby. Good luck. Karyn
...See More
Can you ID this huge brown beetle that japanese beetles like?
Q
Comments (3)
Thank you! I did some more reading on them and decided to set her loose since I don't have grapes. When I read someone's story about having one as a pet when they were a child, I decided she was safe to handle. I ended up with a great picture of it taking off for flight. Of course, I spent the next 15 minutes trying to catch it in the house :). Thanks again, Bellatrix
...See More
hawk ID help please..no pics
Q
Comments (4)
I agree with Elly and those of the Bird Forum, a Red-shouldered Hawk, adult. Luc
...See More
FroofyCat
12 years ago
i grew up outside of philadelphia and we had tons of these and my mom called them Japanese Beetles.

I've had lots of them in my pool in the last week or so - a pool is great for killing lots of insects and small animals.
FroofyCat
12 years ago
google "oriental beetle" images - yours looks more like that.

link on more info:

Here is a link that might be useful: link
jillyluis
Original Author
12 years ago
We had a Japanese beetle last year and it had a more green iridescent body and some funky dots on its side that they guys don't seem to have. It does have a lot of similarities though to a JB. I can't rule it out, but I don't think that's it.
Thanks though!
mskee
12 years ago
Asiatic garden beetle?
diggerdee zone 6 CT
12 years ago
These are the DREADED oriental beetles. I detest them. They destroy my echinacea and daisies every single year. Still trying to find out how to deal with them. I tried milky spore a few years back, knowing that it was more for japanese beetles, but I was desperate. I have noticed a decline this year - so far - not sure why, but I'll take it!

If anyone knows how to get rid of these pests, please share!

:)
Dee
FroofyCat
12 years ago
i'm going to try milky spore - I just read on line and a site said to use it about 3 times a summer and keep it up every year for it to be effective.

I haven't seen them on any plants, but I'm not paying tons of close attention. But I do notice any time I dig anywhere, I find a grub.

Lately, they fall or crawl in my pool and tons of them are in there. I wonder if they are dropping from the neighbor's norway maples overhanging my yard?
diggerdee zone 6 CT
12 years ago
These guys fly - so they get around, unfortunately!

I've never heard of using milky spore three times a year. That would be incredibly expensive - well at least for me on my almost-acre. I read that you apply it once and it spreads on its own. I wonder if I should try another application.

I also wonder if I should leave out a few trays of water at night. I seem to mostly find the asiatic beetles in water, but then again I try not to leave much water out.

Dee
FroofyCat
12 years ago
hmm, good point. I don't even know the price! Plus I suppose I'd have to buy a spreader. Now I wish I knew the site I just found that on - probably a milky spore seller.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
12 years ago
"...Plus I suppose I'd have to buy a spreader..."

Doh! I wish I had thought of that, lol. Silly me was out on my acre with a tablespoon! Took me FOREVER, lol!

:)
Dee

Related Stories

Help Me Design My Wine Cellar - Please!

SUMMER GARDENING Houzz Call: Please Show Us Your Summer Garden!

By Annie Thornton

Share pictures of your home and yard this summer — we’d love to feature them in an upcoming story

Ideabook 911: I Need Help Staging for Resale

By Becky Harris

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Be a Citizen Scientist to Help Wildlife, Learn and Have Fun Too

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Track butterflies, study birds, capture stars ... when you aid monitoring efforts, you’re lending Mother Nature a hand

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Silphium Perfoliatum Pleases Wildlife

By Pollination Press LLC

Cup plant provides structure, cover, food and water to help attract and sustain wildlife in the eastern North American garden

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Saturated Colors Help a 1920s Fixer-Upper Flourish

By Madison Modern Home

Bright paint and cheerful patterns give this Spanish-style Los Angeles home a thriving new personality

COLOR Pick-a-Paint Help: How to Create a Whole-House Color Palette

By Laura Gaskill

Don't be daunted. With these strategies, building a cohesive palette for your entire home is less difficult than it seems

PETS How to Help Your Dog Be a Good Neighbor

By Alison Hodgson

Good fences certainly help, but be sure to introduce your pup to the neighbors and check in from time to time

SELLING YOUR HOUSE 5 Savvy Fixes to Help Your Home Sell

By Kristie Barnett, The Decorologist

Get the maximum return on your spruce-up dollars by putting your money in the areas buyers care most about

REMODELING GUIDES Key Measurements for a Dream Bedroom

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

Learn the dimensions that will help your bed, nightstands and other furnishings fit neatly and comfortably in the space

Sponsored

MCR ROMERO WORK LLC

Innovative & Creative General Contractors Servicing Franklin County

More Discussions

Remember the Blizzard of '78?

10

Swamp Milkweed Seeds or cuttings

3

Wind Chimes - Do earbuds work to cancel their high-pitched chimes?

14

Anyone notice there is a freeze warning tonight?

7

Show Us Your Landscape and Gardens-A Photo Thread - May 2024

13