S.O.S! JAPANESE BEETLES! 😭

[humblehillsfarm]

I did try neem oil with bad luck,( burned the plants badly even when applied in the evening), but I will try again. Maybe I got the mix wrong.

What was your ratio? Neem oil shouldn't burn plants... But the beetles can leave brown leaves I believe.

 

[RainbowHen]

I had a small spray bottle tsp of neem oil diluted with coconut oil, bit of witch hazel, drop of soap and filled the rest with water. Ends of my basil leaves turned black and curled. The plant had no previous damage.

 

[Rldad1]

Try Sevin either dust or spray. Japanese beetles can't handle it. Keep it away from flowers as it is toxic to bees.

 

[RainbowHen]

Try Sevin either dust or spray. Japanese beetles can't handle it. Keep it away from flowers as it is toxic to bees.

I really try hard to steer away from chemicals especially chemical pesticides but I may try it. I feel it is temporary though. Killing the adults. I would love a deterrent or some nematodes to kill the larvae in the soil. Anyone ever used nematodes before?

 

[Compost King]

https://www.amazon.com/Spectracide-...s=Japanese+Beetle+Traps&qid=1595872367&sr=8-1 No poisons involved, just traps the beetles where they die eventually, great for feeding chickens too. I used this once years ago and haven't seen a Japanese Beetle with in a mile of my house since. Not sure if this trap is the reason why but it took care of the problem when I used it.

 

[no fly zone]

Will chickens eat them?

 

[Compost King]

Will chickens eat them?

Mine did.

 

[Lizmom]

This won't help you this year, but you can get rid of Japanese Beetles for 20 to 30 years by using milky spore disease. You buy it at garden centers or online. It's a bacteria that affects the grubs of Japanese beetles in your soil. It kills the grubs, and when they die they release a lot more bacteria to the soil. It takes about three years for the bacteria to increase enough that you have no more Japanese beetles at all. It grows out in circles around your property into your neighbors. Eventually it's grown out so far, that there are no Japanese beetle grubs around to keep it alive, so you have to replace it in 20 to 30 years. They say 20 years, but it worked 30 years for me. So I did it again after 30 years of being Japanese beetle free.

In the meantime, you can use Japanese beetle traps, and/or pyrethrum spray. But nothing is as good is milky spore.

 

[Birdsong 82]

The only thing I found effective in my experience is Neem oil. And that's only if I start before a full invasion comes in I try to spray when I first start seeing them. The only problem is that it will burn your plants if it's sprayed on them in full sunlight in high temperatures. The best time to spray them is early early morning or late in the evening
I've actually heard of people taking small shop vac's in sucking up squash bugs I wonder if that works for Japanese beetles

 

[RevlisRemmah]

This won't help you this year, but you can get rid of Japanese Beetles for 20 to 30 years by using milky spore disease. You buy it at garden centers or online. It's a bacteria that affects the grubs of Japanese beetles in your soil. It kills the grubs, and when they die they release a lot more bacteria to the soil. It takes about three years for the bacteria to increase enough that you have no more Japanese beetles at all. It grows out in circles around your property into your neighbors. Eventually it's grown out so far, that there are no Japanese beetle grubs around to keep it alive, so you have to replace it in 20 to 30 years. They say 20 years, but it worked 30 years for me. So I did it again after 30 years of being Japanese beetle free.

In the meantime, you can use Japanese beetle traps, and/or pyrethrum spray. But nothing is as good is milky spore.

I’m so intrigued by this. Do you just till it into the soil? Spring or fall? Is it harmful to nearby pets or wells or any other plant life?