Japanese Beetles invading my yard

[fisher]

Does anyone have any experience with dealing with these beetles. I am in Woodbridge and they invaded my grape vine. About 50% of the leaves have been chewed and skeletonized before I noticed what was happening.

 

Last night I spent 2 hours picking them off my vines and have no doubt there are going to be more when I get back home tonight.

 

Any ideas?

 

Online they say that picking them off works best and using the beetle traps that they sell at Home Depot which gives off an attractant scent is actually a bad thing because it will attract beetles from all over the neighbourhood into my backyard and make things worse.

[grimsbylander]

Hey Fisher, I noticed my birch was dropping leaves last Friday and thought it was strange but with all this dry weather paid little attention. I came back from fishing Saturday and my jaw dropped when I looked at the tree! It was literally being eaten alive. There were thousands of them on it and the linden tree beside it. It would have been impossible to hand pick that many bugs off a 15ft tree. All I had was grub killer for the lawn, so I nailed it. The tree was going to die if I didn't do something. They dropped like, well, flies. They garden underneath is covered in dead bugs. I also did the linden with the same results. It's been 4 days without a single beetle back. I have no idea why I'm seeing them now for the first time ever.

[fisher]

Do you recall the brand of grub killer that you used? Is it powdered or liquid?

 

I am willing to try anything - my vine is over 10 years old and loaded with grapes and I would hate to lose it to these bugs.

 

I am in Woodbridge and have been here for over 12 years and never seen them before...hope this is not going to be an annual event!

Edited July 19, 2012 by fisher

[UglyBug]

Those buggers bite so be careful.

[Ralph Field]

My wife used a product called bug off and it did the trick, at least for now. As mentioned earlier many trees in our area are covered in them. With the dry weather and now the beadles the trees are very stressed.

[fisher]

They do not bite. I picked up at least 200-300 of them last night with my bare hand and the only thing they did was dig in with their prickly legs (likely designed to help them hold on to the leaves when shaken/disturbed).

 

I even had one crawling on my back which I only noticed when I went inside to take a shower.

[Christopheraaron]

Any pics of the tree? I'm curious to see what you're dealing with.

[BillM]

This is your only option.

 

[grimsbylander]

Do you recall the brand of grub killer that you used? Is it powdered or liquid?

 

I am willing to try anything - my vine is over 10 years old and loaded with grapes and I would hate to lose it to these bugs.

 

I am in Woodbridge and have been here for over 12 years and never seen them before...hope this is not going to be an annual event!

 

 

I don't recall and I'm at work right now. It was a liquid though. Just hooked it up to the garden hose and go.

[UglyBug]

Well sorry but they do bite, you might not be sweet enough for them. I have been bite so I know. might not be common but they do

 

 

They do not bite. I picked up at least 200-300 of them last night with my bare hand and the only thing they did was dig in with their prickly legs (likely designed to help them hold on to the leaves when shaken/disturbed).

 

I even had one crawling on my back which I only noticed when I went inside to take a shower.

[Christopheraaron]

Well sorry but they do bite, you might not be sweet enough for them. I have been bite so I know. might not be common but they do

 

 

 

 

Maybe you just have a few extra plant chromosomes!

[fisher]

Well sorry but they do bite, you might not be sweet enough for them. I have been bite so I know. might not be common but they do

 

I guess you may be right...my statement was based on the fact that they did not bite me even though I literally picked up over 200 of them with my bare hands and at times, struggled to loosen them off their grip on the leaves.

[NAW]

Thanks for starting this post.

 

They are all over my wife's rose bushes. They have nearly killed 4 of them.

 

Little buggers..

[UglyBug]

No worries here. I generally hate bugs so I guess they knew that.

 

I guess you may be right...my statement was based on the fact that they did not bite me even though I literally picked up over 200 of them with my bare hands and at times, struggled to loosen them off their grip on the leaves.

[fisher]

Christopher, Here is a link I found online to a picture that will show you the leaf and a beetle

 

http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=japanese+beetles+grape+leaf&um=1&hl=en&safe=active&rlz=1R2ADFA_enCA480&biw=981&bih=507&tbm=isch&tbnid=IkYmGleQq0f5iM:&imgrefurl=http://www.blueelephantfarm.com/1/post/2011/7/japanese-beetles.html&docid=FaVaRV1J_ZbuPM&itg=1&imgurl=http://www.blueelephantfarm.com/uploads/5/6/6/1/5661257/1310750563.jpg&w=289&h=212&ei=wgoIUMGzH-WR0QGvn83aAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=703&vpy=157&dur=563&hovh=169&hovw=231&tx=132&ty=79&sig=101573096497534417619&page=4&tbnh=154&tbnw=223&start=34&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:34,i:206

[Christopheraaron]

Thanks fisher, strange I've never seen any around here.

[doubleheader]

Given you have the infestation go to the lawn and garden dept of any retailer and get a spray. read the directions to make sure it's effective on the beetles, then, get a couple beetle bags and mount them nearby your vine. the beetles can't resist them, fly in, and croak. My neighbor and I have adjacent gardens. He planted marigolds around his garden which is like an open invitation for japanese beetles to attack. Fortunately we've been able to control it with the above actions.

[lew]

He planted marigolds around his garden which is like an open invitation for japanese beetles to attack.

 

Interesting you say that Fred as a neighbor just told me wife recently that marigolds planted in a vegetable garden would keep bugs away.

[Musky or Specks]

This is in clear violation of the Washington Treaty hopefully your deck will be their Midway....... Sorry couldn't resist a little history buff humour

[kickingfrog]

Interesting you say that Fred as a neighbor just told me wife recently that marigolds planted in a vegetable garden would keep bugs away.

 

Someone I work with said marigolds would keep rabbits out of my veg garden. Since I haven't had rabbits in the 3 years I've had the garden I didn't really consider it.

[soobnoob]

Heres a little known secret.... DISH SOAP

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05547.html/

 

My dad uses this in the garden, works like a charm... xept for the darn squirrels

[The JAY]

Interesting you say that Fred as a neighbor just told me wife recently that marigolds planted in a vegetable garden would keep bugs away.

 

 

I would say that about Crysanthemums. There is a chemical in them, Pyrethrum, that deters/kills bugs. It is the main compound in most lice treatments, and the plant itself is usually enough of a deterrent. Just my 2 cents....

[doubleheader]

Interesting you say that Fred as a neighbor just told me wife recently that marigolds planted in a vegetable garden would keep bugs away.

 

My neighbors marigolds were polluted with them. Maybe you're supposed to plant them away from the garden, in which case i could see that they would steer them away from the veggies, but he has them planted right on the garden's edge. BTW Lew, we're down to what, 15 days. Hope to see you while we're up at Memquisit.

[doubleheader]

Heres a little known secret.... DISH SOAP

http://www.ext.colos...ect/05547.html/

 

My dad uses this in the garden, works like a charm... xept for the darn squirrels

 

Dish soap was the 1st thing we tried. It helped but did not clear them out.

[lew]

BTW Lew, we're down to what, 15 days. Hope to see you while we're up at Memquisit.

 

It's getting close Fred and let's make a point of getting out together again this year. The waters alot higher so we'll be able to get back into some of the better spots unlike 2 years ago.

 

Sorry to the OP for the hijack