# Japanese Beetle



## photobiker (Mar 23, 2015)

They sell or used to sell beetle traps you would hang in your yard. I personally spray them directly with soapy water. About a teaspoon of dish washing soap in a typical spray bottle.


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## Woodside Dan (May 8, 2015)

We had a really bad year of Japanese Beetles last year, and started trying to eliminate them mid-July. (Moved to a new place July 1, realized beetle problem and started treating within two weeks).
This year, we've had a bad first three weeks of JB season, but they've suddenly dropped off. 
Last year and this year, we used beetle traps, sixteen of them around the yard. We had so many beetles all last summer, and this year until this week that we would catch about a gallon an afternoon per trap. I used 6 foot lengths of 4" PVC (it might be 5" or 6" i forget by now) capped at the bottom, with a reducer at top, the *tenderfoot beetle trap* funnel sits nicely inside the reducer (take trap funnel to hardware store to test fit). Drill a bunch of small drain holes in the lower 12-18" to let water out (fly maggots also escape out the holes if you don't empty it regularly). Keep holes only in lower section, so you have something solid to hold that doesn't get the dead-bug stink all over you. we zip tie the home made industrial size traps loosely with two straps so they stay vertical, then slide them out to invert the tubes into contractors garbage bags and put the tubes back up.

next time i have to make some, i'll look for some waste gates to make emptying easier out the bottom without inverting the tubes. 

Most of our traps fill the 6' 4" PVC in a week; we can only empty on weekends. The traps stink like dead animal, but it cuts down beetle damage dramatically. 
I am second season into treating all areas of short grass with milky spore, a beetle-grub attacking microbe (bought and had it shipped via amazon). They say six spring-summer-fall applications over two years will populate lawn well with microbes and keep JB population down.
I'm guessing our early JB bloom was the morphing grubs from eggs laid early last summer, and that our trapping has decreased our later season JB bloom , as population seems to have dramatically dropped exactly one year from when we placed traps. 
I've only just started keeping bees, but they are doing fantastic, so I don't think they have been affected by the milky spore; they ignore the traps. They aren't attracted to the pheromone lure; they ignore the floral perfume lure, and the yellow optical lure.

tenderfoot beetle trap lure in a sunny location looks busier than the new york city airports: at any moment, we had about 15 beetles around each lure all of last summer, and first three weeks this summer.
if i can remember to take a photo tomorrow of our traps, in the daylight, i will do so.
dan


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## popejohnpaul2 (Apr 2, 2015)

photobiker said:


> They sell or used to sell beetle traps you would hang in your yard.


I bought a pair, and boy, those things have filled up quick. There must be hundreds maybe even thousands of them in the traps after a couple of weeks. Still a bunch of beetles around the yard. I've begun to think that the traps might just attract beetles from the broader area, and while you may catch a ton, your still left with a just as large of population than without them.


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## popejohnpaul2 (Apr 2, 2015)

@Dan 

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely have to look into milky spore.


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## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

What if the beetles come from your neighbor's yard and the surrounding area?
Will spraying work for this purpose?


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## EvanS (Feb 27, 2015)

popejohnpaul2 said:


> I bought a pair, and boy, those things have filled up quick. There must be hundreds maybe even thousands of them in the traps after a couple of weeks. Still a bunch of beetles around the yard. I've begun to think that the traps might just attract beetles from the broader area, and while you may catch a ton, your still left with a just as large of population than without them.


This is my thinking. The pheromone or whatever scent probably attracts more than it traps, so you end up with just as many beetles. This is why I don't use insect traps in the vineyard where I work unless is it temporary for counting spotted wing drosophila.


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## Woodside Dan (May 8, 2015)

I read that JB prefer to lay eggs in short grass (article suggested leaving lawn longer to discourage laying in one's vicinity). We trap so much where we live now, because most of our surrounding is tall-foliage pasture. I'm hoping to knock the population in our immediate vicinity down. I've watched around our traps and haven't seen many beetles coming in from distance. Most fly up from quite near each individual trap. It looks like the beetles we trap are coming from very local area, not flying in. Asian stink bugs for example, they appear to flock in from distance (autumn issue). Our JB traps are spread over approx 6-7 acres of lawn, it takes four bags of milky spore to cover the lawns. I don't have accurate measure of the lawns we're treating.

Last year, was our first year at this property. 

The peaches were eaten off the peach tree as they were small and green and hard, the cherry trees and contorted hazelnut and beech were completely defoliated. Roses and geraniums never had a chance to open. 

This year, with traps out early (and perhaps from population control from last year) we harvested peaches as they started to ripen, cherry trees are only half defoliated (but we started a trapping week later than we judged best due to time constraints and cherry leaves are the first to be eaten here). the contorted hazelnut is only 1/10 defoliated, the beech trees are untouched. we've had good roses, and geraniums are bluing now. i've picked only six beetles off of our two dozen dahlias this year. (Last year, cherry tree leaves were attacked and gone by now, hazelnut was half gone by now, beech trees were under initial attack by now). 

I really do feel like the four contractor bags of japanese beetles we've hauled away have made a difference, and now we're seeing and trapping less than this time last year. Most important to me, the traps haven't impacted the bees in the least.

Can't upload image of traps here (maybe since i'm using apple computer), but i'm happy to email photo if you want to have a look-see.

good luck fighting beetles.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

In the county I live in we had them dudes bad about 10 or 15 years ago. BAD
There were clouds of them so vast it blocked the sun somewhat. I'm not sure where they all went but they gone. 
There was a crop duster air force here for quite some time. Had nothing to do with bees dying tho. @  

Over the past 35 years I've looked in a lot of attics. (construction)
It got where I was looking for mud dauber nests before I'd go in.
Then the crop dusters came and I have not seen a mud dauber in years.
Have seen some attics full of nests but no wasps. The crop duster air force had nothing to do with that too. @  
Japanese beetles...I see one every so often but it's not an issue here at all.

In the future if you see me make this mark @. It means I am being sarcastic. (sarcmark)


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## SeaCucumber (Jun 5, 2014)

I bought some Hb nematodes this year. JB was on the list of prey.


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## brok342 (Oct 10, 2015)

I think Pyrethrin-based insecticide is a safe and effective way to control these pests on vegetables, grapes, raspberries, flowers, roses, trees and shrubs. In addition to controlling Japanese beetles, it also controls cucumber beetles, flea beetles, cabbageworms, Colorado potato beetles, and more.


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