That's good to hear about the orchids, I'll try them outside starting in the shadier part first then seeing how much sun they want. It's amazing how fast these beetles can destroy plants if they find them tasty, yet totally ignore other plants. Parts of the garden always looks like a tornado went through. Years ago when I first planted the roses I did put in chives. I had to remove the chives this year because the cats are now totally confined in the garden area too - the challenge is finding out what is safe for the cats and removing what isn't, chives are questionable. Another reason I'm also trying to avoid chemicals. In my garden the roses that had the chives next to them had just as many beetles as the others that didn't each year. NO difference noticed here. But I haven't tried onion or larkspur because they are poisonous to cats so that's why I considered the cheesecloth though I can't imagine trying to get it OFF the rose bushes, especially the rugosa's :) Best of luck with your experiment, hope you find something that helps.

"Natural Controls Many kinds of birds such as bobwhites, eastern kingbirds, crows, European starlings, redwinged blackbirds, catbirds, songsparrows, robins and grackles eat Japanese beetles. European starlings, common grackles and crows eat large numbers of grubs in heavily infested areas. When grubs are close to the surface, flocks of starlings may be seen on lawns and pastures digging up grubs with their long, pointed bills. Crows frequently pull up small pieces of turf and scatter them over a lawn as they dig. Moles, shrews and skunks also feed on white grubs. These animals can damage lawns as they search for grubs. Predaceous insects such as wheel bugs, robber flies and praying mantids occasionally feed on adult beetles. A few native wasps and flies also feed on beetle adults or grubs, but they appear to play only a minor part in beetle control. Several parasitic wasps, flies and beetles have been imported from the Orient in an attempt to control the beetle in the United States with only limited success. Milky Spore Disease Milky spore disease is a bacterial disease that kills Japanese beetle grubs. Spores of this bacterium are produced commercially and sold under the names of Doom,, Japidemic, and Milky Spore. The application of milky spore may reduce the numbers of Japanese beetle grubs in lawns but beetles will fly in from other areas to damage plants and crops. Research trials using this approach to reduce grub numbers in turf have given very erratic results. The disease does not kill other types of grubs that damage turf. See ENT-10, Controlling White Grubs for additional information. Collecting Beetles Hand collecting obviously is not the most effective method of control, but can be used to protect valuable plants when beetle activity is relatively low. The presence of beetles on a plant attracts more beetles. When you remove beetles daily by hand from a plant, only about half as many are attracted to that plant compared to those on which beetles are allowed to accumulate. One of the easiest ways to remove beetles from small plants is to shake the plants early in the morning (about 7 a.m.) when temperatures are low and the beetles sluggish. The beetles may be killed by shaking them into a bucket of soapy water. Trapping Beetles In recent years commercial or homemade traps have become a popular means of trying to reduce beetle numbers. Commercially available traps attract the beetles with two types of baits. One mimics the scent of virgin female beetles and is highly attractive to males. The other bait is a sweet-smelling food-type lure that attracts both males and females. This combination is such a powerful and effective attractant that traps can draw in thousands of beetles in a day. Only a portion of the beetles attracted to traps are caught in them. Small number of traps in a home landscape can actually increase Japanese beetle problems rather than reduce them." "Traps may be effective in reducing Japanese beetle problems if used throughout a neighborhood or in open areas well away from valuable plantings or vulnerable crops. In most home landscape situations, using 1 or 2 traps probably will do more harm than good." http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/entfactpdf/ef409.pdf H.Kuska comment: I grew about 1000 roses in a no spray garden. I used milkey spore, beneficial nematodes, and birdhouses / bird feeders. I did not eliminate Japanese beetles, but the population did reach an equilibrium that I could live with. Here is a link that might be useful: link to above information

The above insect is not a beetle. Perhaps you should post an image of yours for a definite identification. If the insect you've observed IS a 14 spotted ladybug, then it's not eating your seedlings, but is after aphids and other pests. If the insect is actually munching on your plants, then you probably have a population of Harlequin Bug (but not a beetle), probably in various stages of development. The 14 spotted ladybug is not widely distributed in North America, yet. Where are you located? Let's ID BEFORE you worry about how to get rid of them. Here is a link that might be useful: 14 spotted ladybug

Found eating Muscadine leaf