Japanese Beetles...

[chickenfeathers]

Do chickens eat them? :|

 

[justusnak]

Oh yes! Mine LOVE them. I was reading in a magazine......I think... Backyard Poultry....this woman had a bad infestation of them. This is what SHE did.

Buy the Japanese beelte traps. they are bags....that have something in them that attracts the beetles. Its not a chemical poison...something about hormones or something like that. Well...she cut the bottom out of the bag and hung it just high enough so the chickens can not reach it, but put a large white pan under it. The beetles would be attracted to the bag...and go in the top...and fall out the bottom to the plate. She said her hens would stand there for hours, waiting on the "free lunch" to drop through.

For me....I let mine free range..and have seen VERY FEW of those nasty little buggers.

 

[Rooster01]

Yes, they love them. I give them to my hens every time I find one.

 

[chickenfeathers]

Thank you justusnak & Rooster01.

I have some beetles that are invading my newly planted clump birch trees.

I was going to spray with "Bug Stop". Since my chickens free-range, I guess that idea is out the window.

Does anyone know what I could use to spray on the trees to kill the beetles but not hurt the chickens?

Don't the beetle traps just lure *more* beetles into the area?

Thanks for your help...

 

[justusnak]

They will lure them in...but if you cut the bottom out of the bag..and let the beetles fall through to a dish of some sort...show them to the chickens....they will take care of the rest. I definately would not use poisons....with free ranging chickens.

 

[okiechick57]

Quote:
What a great idea.thanks for sharing........... I can see them standing there waiting for them to drop

 

[chickenfeathers]

Quote:
I'm going to try it...sounds very entertaining...thank you!

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

We dont have them anymore. The chickens scared them all away. The barred rocks eat them as if they where an ice cream sundae.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
I think you would lure more in but if they all got eaten, not only would you have less of a local infestation, but you would be decrasing local numbers, thus a lower chance of becoming re infested by neighboring lots.

 

[horsewishr]

my husband traps them in the veggie garden. He uses a syrup-lined paper cup and a plastic lid. Once the beetles are stacked up in the cup, he empties them into the coop. All the girls come running for their candy-coated beetle snacks.