Nasty Japanese beetles

1. 61

   Jule Romansposted 15 years ago

   How much do you hate them??? what do you do to get rid of them?

   replyreport
   1. 60

      Andrasteposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Japanese beetles? Do you mean the orange lady bugs?
      
      Erm... I guess it doesn't matter what kind of bug it is. The best way I have found to rid your home of any pest is to spray aerosol around the windows, doorways, and any other type of opening that allows them to come inside. It's tedious work, but it makes most pests want to leave because the aerosol is horrible for them.

      replyreport
2. 75

   IzzyMposted 15 years ago

   You could try scattering dried catnip around the edges of floors. Insects hate catnip.

   replyreport
3. 0

   philip carey 61posted 15 years ago

   I'm not real fond of them. They wreak havoc on certain plants. They sell traps for them which have a scented bait and a collection bag for the bugs...you hang them from little wire stands in the yard or garden. Only mixed results with controlling them.

   replyreport
4. 75

   IzzyMposted 15 years ago

   I've just realised that the Japanese Beetle is Harmonia axyridis, otherwise known as the Harlquin ladybird which is infesting the UK now.
   I wrote a hub about them, and apart from sweeping them out of your house, no-one seems to know how to effectively get rid of them seeing as they can 'bleed' when distrurbed and leave a vile smelling stain on furniture, walls and curtains.

   replyreport
5. 61

   Jule Romansposted 15 years ago

   I didn't  know about catnip! Does this go for the live plant, or just the dried leaves?
   
   I was actually thinking of the ugly greenish-black bugs-- I just looked up their name-- Popillia japonica. Here in the US, they just swarm all over the foliage of their favorite plants.
   
   I like ladybugs, harmona axyridis, in my garden because they eat aphids. We have problems with them hibernating in the walls of our houses, too. 
   
   I will have to read more about the scientific names of insects!

   replyreport
   1. 75

      IzzyMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I'm still experimenting with catnip so can't say for certain, but dried or fresh they are reputed to repel insects. Apparently they definitely deter cockroaches but I don't have a problem with them, and I want to find out what insects they do deter - maybe mosquitoes with any luck.
      
      As for the other insect you are talking about, I have no idea what they are, I'm afraid. Just looked them up and I think I've seen them before, but not in any great numbers.
      
      The harlequin ladybird (sorry 'ladybug' in US)is not a nice insect - they eat the smaller 'good' ladybugs and destroy plants, unlike the normal ladybugs which are considered a gardener's friend. Plus the harlequin invades houses and cause damage.

      replyreport
6. 61

   Disturbiaposted 15 years ago

   Let's see, Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica), how do I hate thee?  The nasty little buggers just love to eat my roses and the grubs attract moles.  They are a big problem in my rose garden and my yard and I can't do enough to get rid of them.  I spray, pick them off by hand, and have traps around the property, but the traps don't seem to do much good.  I'd love to hear from anybody who has a really sure fire way to get rid of them.
   
   I can't say that I've ever even seen one in the house, but they sure love to hang out in my gardens.

   replyreport
7. 69

   Ms Chievousposted 15 years ago

   We have always used those " beetle bags " which are supposed to attract and trap them.  When i was little I remember helping my mom just pick them off the plants and put them in a water/oil mixture.  Dusting your plants was always a preventive measure tha was affective.
   
   The catnip is interesting.  I would be afraid I would wake up to a yard full of cats!  I have heard the herb penny Royal is supposed to keep away the bugs.  Sometimes I plant marigolds in my garden to keep bugs out...

   replyreport
8. 59

   hitechlandscapingposted 15 years ago

   Be very careful with those traps; they have two pheromones in them, one is a sexual scent, the other being food.
   
   In my experience, these traps attract more beetles than they actually trap!  Maybe one could use the trap in conjunction with some Praying Manti?

   replyreport
9. 0

   Justine76posted 15 years ago

   not lady bugs. these
   
   "The beetle species Popillia japonica is commonly known as the Japanese beetle. It is about 15 millimetres (0.6 in) long and 10 millimetres (0.4 in) wide, with iridescent copper-colored elytra and green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural enemies, but in America it is a serious pest of about 200 species of plants, including rose bushes, grapes, hops, canna, crape myrtles, and other plants.
   
   It is a clumsy flier, dropping several centimeters when it hits a wall. Japanese beetle traps therefore consist of a pair of crossed walls with a bag underneath, and are baited with floral scent, pheromone, or both. However, studies done at the University of Kentucky suggest that traps attract more beetles than they actually trap, thus causing more damage along the flight path of the beetles and in the vicinity of the trap than may have occurred if the trap was not present.[1]
   
   These insects damage plants by skeletonizing the foliage, that is, consuming only the leaf material between the veins"
   
   
   My profile pic is Japanese beetles. (for now, for the purpose of this thread)they are awful...nothing to do with myhouse, but eatign my whole garden before I can get any food from it!!!!

   replyreport
10. 61

    Jule Romansposted 15 years ago

    UGH UGH UGH UGH UGH! Yes, those! I agree, the traps are kind of  dangerous-- they attract more than they kill, in  my opinion.
    
    I really need to get to work on understanding and using insecticidal soaps and flour dusts. I know both can be used selectively. I just haven't figured out how to use fur without potentially killing tiny caterpillars that I can't see.
    
    Have read that if I stop using traditional chemical pesticides entirely (which I have), eventually  things will balance out, and  the Japanese beetles will not be as intense. I don't know.
    
    I relaly don't want to use spray sand such becuae I want to encourage all butterflies and moths in my garden.

    replyreport
    1. 61

       Jule Romansposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       I mean sprays and such. Not spray sand.

       replyreport