LOL...this thread is hysterical. What's not hysterical is seeing these things in petals of beloved roses including a brand new tiny lavender floribunda. The milky spore is supposed to last for years killing the slug larvae but it hasn't exactly worked out that way at my father's place. Needs to be watered in to filtrate down to where slugs live. Although the label says you have until August to put it down it would seem wise to me to put it down as early as label indicates for range. That way more slugs are killed and, hopefully, less JBs the next year or so. They have a multiyear life cycle I think. As said before, it the entire neighborhood doesn't get rid of slug larvae so they don't have a chance to get to be JBs then they're going to find their preferred flora/trees in the neighborhood and start eating and laying more eggs. I too have always been squeamish about "bugs" but I'm so tired of watching so many new plantings being eaten by various creatures I've started picking them off bare handed and squishing them on the ground. Couldn't squish in my bare hand...just a step too far for me...LOL. Icyveins...your boyfriend must have been hysterical yelling about HIS tree, "Phil"...LOL. Was he sypathetic when they were eating your flowers? If not, now he fully understands your pain form the JB wars...LOL. Poor guy. My rescued Hydrangea is named Gertrude and she's recuperating on the deck from being ravaged by deer. I've read the yellow traps can attract not only JBs from your yard but from other yards that don't have bait and/or plantings to attract them.

I used a professional formulation of imidicloprid when it was first released. It certainly is an effective insecticide. It was claimed then that it didn't translocate to the flowers. After I used it, not only were the target insects gone, but I found non-target victims who could have only been exposed to it through harmless feeding and pollen gathering. No other products were used, and I have no other explanation for their demise. The label on this product also stated it could only be used one time in a growing season. Since it does not seem to be phytotoxic, I presume that means it is very persistant. I have read that it is the most widely used pesticide in the world today and I have also seen the literature suggesting its use possibly linked to confusion and hive collapse in honeybees. I really hated to see it go OTC. It mimics the action of nicitinimides and what are we going to use when every pest on earth becomes resistant? As for only using it on wind pollinated trees, I noticed last year in my stand of corn (and we all know that corn is wind pollinated) throngs of bees and other pollinators. Just because something is pollinated by wind does not mean insects don't visit it. As for sevin, it's very lethal to bees, but at least it has a very short term life on plants. I don't use it either. I don't treat for JBs.

Thanks, buford. I think I've bugged enough people about beetle problems for today, will give it a rest. I'm so confused at this point, I don't want to ask any more questions, don't know if the ext guy can help or not. He told me to take the traps down, but when I asked if the beetles would disburse now that I've already drawn many, he didn't know. Beetles miss the traps, and traps only trap part of the beetles you attract, grub control spring and fall plus supplemental with Merit or similar, several chemicals, sprayers, spreaders, additives so what you spray will adhere, and that doesn't cover those that are in the neighbors' yards totally untreated whether I trap or not. Read some more, think I will move the trap in the back yard if I have to put a nail in the wood trim on the big, wide metal door, single-car garage (ground too hard many places to sink my shepherd's hook I bought, or just get rid of it, or take it down and cover it well, and wait and see. So many other choices. Plus the traps I am using, the beetles they draw will stop and feed on plants in the flight path, don't like that. Ag guy told me a week ago that all the neighbors have to put up traps for them to be effective, and they would be facing the same problem I am, too much shade, small yards, lots of trees and shrubs, no roses in the block I'm aware of. But once you have them in any numbers, you have to do something or they will totally destroy some plants, even feed on the underside of leaves, haven't been looking there. My clump of birches in front may have been attracting them all along, never saw any on lower leaves, most limbs have had to be trimmed off, but no telling how high they could be in those tall things, and they feed from the top down. I didn't ask any more questions, just summarized a PORTION of what I googled. The useful link is for KY, not my state, but lists the plants definitely attacked and those relatively free of adult beetles. Here is a link that might be useful: Managing adult beetles, U KY Coll. of AG, ext. entomologist

Hmm, interesting. I'll check this week as it's warmer and see if there's movement. I know they've been up on the flowers in the past years, not just after the flowers have died. I'll post if there's anything unusual which could be attributed to the weedblock. Kimmsr and Stompede-what do you think? The weedblock is 4 feet wide and my largest peony is maybe 2 feet in diameter so there's quite a bit of crawling to be done. Plus I really stapled down and all lawn clippings have been dumped on top of the weedblock to weigh it down (and cover the black). Any ideas about the possibility that even if they hatch, maybe the majority will find it hard to get out?