Japanese beetles have finally obtained enough of a presence in Minnesota that they're now decimating our shrub roses. Fortunately, they don't seem to be interested in anything else we're growing.
Would treating my own lawn for beetle grubs be worth the effort, or would I still be afflicted by the beetles hatching from my neighbor's lawns?
DON"T place any traps about your yard. You know the yellow with attractant. They do attract.
Doesn't do any good if the neighbors don't treat their lawns too. It's much more effective to treat ones plants once the beetles are present.
That's what I was wondering; I don't know how far beetles roam from where they hatch.
Anything specific treatment for beetles?
So far, I've just been picking them off, but they're out there all day and I'm not, so they're making a mess of the bushes.
Of course, this infestation is nothing compared to what I saw when I was a kid growing up in Maryland. We used to collect enough to fill a mayonase jar in a couple of hours, and that was when the jars were still a full quart :-)
Lawn treatment is less effective if you can't get your neighbors to pitch in and do theirs, too. And if you're using something other than biological controls, you're poisoning your land for no good reason.
What others say about traps is only partially true. They come with very clear instructions about placement (upwind, downwind - I don't recall at the moment). A friend of mine eliminated her beetle problem pretty much overnight a couple of weeks ago. Did the traps attract some that might not have otherwise been there? Probably, and obviously, since it would be illogical to wish they'd only attract the bugs from YOUR property. But the traps DID distract the bugs and saved a bunch of plants.
The traps also offer a clue as to how long your vigilance must last. The instructions clearly describe the seasonal nature of Japanese beetles.
If you want to get rid of the Japanese Beetles, get rid of your Roses. Roses are not worth it! They attract those beetles that wreck your lawn. Rose stems do not compost, thorns hurt, constant deadheading, prone to diseases... Roses are not worth it! Save yourself the pain and misery, get rid of the roses!
Plant flowers and shrubs that do well in your area. If the plants have problems in your area get rid of them! Your garden will look better and less work for you. Also you will use next to nothing on harmful chemicals that harm our environment.
Getting rid of the roses has crossed my mind before, for many of the reasons you mentioned. The beetles hadn't been a problem 'til this summer, but maybe this is the excuse that will finally convince my wife that they need to go.
So far as I can tell, NOTHING else in the garden is the least bit interesting to the beetles. I don't even see any visible evidence of grub problems in the lawn, but if they're only just now getting seriously established in Minnesota, that may come soon too.
I have rugosa roses. Obviously different from tea roses and other fussy varieties, but the rugosas have had no diseases at all in the 10 years I've been growing them. Their scent is terrific and even the leaves are attractive. Yes, they have thorns, but I learned many years ago that if I don't roll around on the bushes, I don't get hurt.
In my friend's situation (mentioned in another message), the beetles went after her fuschia plants, but not the roses a few feet away. Next year, who knows?
Milky with also reduce mole populations. Nice side effect.
The grubs eat the grass roots causing brown spots to appear. It would certainly help the lawn if the product is applied in a timely manner.
The J.beetles will fly to your property to sample your roses. I use a systemic applied to synchronize with the June emergence. It is very effective. Another method is the catch the beetles manually with a wide-mouth jar containing a 1/2" of soapy water. Hold the jar underseath the insect, a small tap, and drowns in the solution.
Which systemic do you use?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
While I was entertaining myself picking the beetles off the rose bushes, they were busily devouring our purple leaf sandcherries.
My excuse for not noticing 'til now is that the sandcherries are way in the back, and the damage to the dark leaves is hard to see until you're right on top of them.
They're positioned so that it's impractical to pick off the bugs as we do with the roses, so some sort of chemical warfare might be needed here.
We're also trying out some Bayer combo fertilizer/systemic insecticide on the roses, but it's only been out for a couple of days.
I use Ortho Rose systemic/food. If I *could* I'd get a systemic product without the (inorganic) food I would. I tried a Bayor product but not quite as effective as the Ortho. It is a bit too late in the season for using systemics, most destructive insects eggs have already hatched.
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