garden pests

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This topic contains 11 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by  Marcy 11 months, 4 weeks ago.

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April 17, 2008 at 6:23 pm #17661

jeunesse
April 17, 2008 at 6:23 pm #17662

jeunesse

What is the best way to treat Japanese beetles? They ruin my lovely New Dawn climbing roses every summer. They bloom once, but the beetles start taking over after that. The roses are supposed to bloom continuously but it’s all downhill after the first bloom. Any suggestions?? Thanks! Jean
April 18, 2008 at 7:48 am #17663

margaret

Jean,
Welcome to A Way to Garden.
You have touched on a topic that unravels all of us in the northern range of Japanese Beetle Territory from about July 4 onward, earlier in the South.
Beetle bags are not the answer, and will attract more I think, which the University of Kentucky has proven with studies far more scientific than my long-ago home-garden observations. I am a proponent of reducing grubs (the larval stage of the beetle) in your soil and under your turf, using either nematodes or the bacterial control called Milky Spore or both, to build up populations of natural agents that kill the grubs. I had a good experience with the nematodes, though they are not cheap (neither is the Milky Spore). You can learn more about both or order on the Gardens Alive website (in my sources on the blog).
While you wait for the good guys you’re inoculating your soil with (nematodes or Milky Spore bacterium) to catch up with and reduce the population of grubs, you have to tackle the adult beetles yourself. This may seem hopeless, but it’s not: Scientists reveal that the fewer beetles we allow to build up per plant, the fewer additional beetles will show up to that plant. Apparently beetles are like lemmings!
Here’s what the University of Kentucky says at http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef409.asp:
"Hand collecting can be used to protect valuable plants when beetle activity is relatively low. The presence of beetles on a plant attracts more beetles. When you remove beetles daily by hand from a plant, only about half as many are attracted to that plant compared to those on which beetles are allowed to accumulate. One of the easiest ways to remove beetles from small plants is to shake the plants early in the morning (about 7 a.m.) when temperatures are low and the beetles sluggish. The beetles may be killed by shaking them into a bucket of soapy water."
That’s the deal: Get them early, and often.
Margaret
April 18, 2008 at 4:14 pm #17664

jeunesse

Thanks Margaret!

I have read about the nematodes, etc. but, with an acre, it would get expensive. I have picked off the buggers by hand, but not in as systematically a process as you suggest. I will do this now, especially knowing that there is scientific proof as to its effectiveness! Can’t wait to experiment.

Thanks again for the thorough reply.

Jean
April 18, 2008 at 6:14 pm #17665

margaret

Yes, I have several acres, but I found that the concentration of grubs was higher in certain areas–nearest to the house where I have lots of plantings actually in my case. I could tell because the lawn was almost loose, not well-rooted into the soil…grubs at work. I did the nematodes on those areas, really focusing my attack. I think Milky Spore is easier to apply on large areas than the nematodes.
M.
April 18, 2009 at 9:14 pm #17666

Ilona

Japanese beetles are new to my particular area- although I was familiar with them in my grandfather’s garden. Back then it was a manageable task to hand pick them and drop them in a jar of kerosene ( my job).
This infestation that i’ve experienced the past two years has been an unbelievable plague. They cover full grown cherry trees and decimate the leaves…then move on to about everything else. They also love the hazels. You couldn’t possibly hand pick them off when the numbers are so outrageously large, but the bags have been a help. In our case it isn’t such a problem when many gardeners in the area are using these bags.

We let them fill up and them dump them in the burn pile, reusing the bags. A smelly mess…. but hopefully over time it will help reduce the numbers. I wanted to get the bacilli and milky spore… but the sotres all sold out last year. This year I hope to get some and use everything in the arenal against them.
April 18, 2009 at 9:15 pm #17667

Ilona

sorry about all the typos! I’ll try to be more careful next time….
April 19, 2009 at 4:23 am #17668

jacksparrow

Ah….those JBs are a right pain in the you know what. I experienced them last year en masse, when I planted cannas in the backyard.

I have been told the bags mentioned above, only brings more of them into your yard. The key to getting rid of them apart from the hand picking method, is to try and plant things they aren’t attracted to, which doesn’t leave you much to plant :-)

I’ll love to have climbing roses on my hand-built pergola, but am not willing to take the risk of an infestation.

Mick
July 21, 2010 at 9:36 am #17669

Rosamund

I have an inherited cherry tree, v large. It is oozing sticky stuff, very badly and we are in the throws of taking it down and burning it but unfortunately it has infected a new apricot tree. I have taken off the affected branches but the main trunk has started oozing. Is there anything I can do. The apricot is small, still in a pot. Just for information, I live in Italy. Can you suggest what I can do to save the apricot tree.

Also, I have an enormous pine that has been oozing a milky substance, what can I do about this.
April 4, 2011 at 12:51 pm #17670

jjameson1980

Does anyone know what these orange balls are in my soil? I just found them on top of the soil today – they are about the size of my pinky fingernail. I have a picture, but don’t know how to post it.
April 4, 2011 at 3:08 pm #17671

Leslie

It is not possible to post a picture in the forum, but if you have a way to post the image on the internet (such as flicker or a personal webpage) you can include a link in your post so that others can see it.
Without any image, my guess is it may be the fruiting bodies of some type of fungus. Check out Margaret’s post on fungus – there are some great links towards the bottom that might help you id the orange balls if they are a fungus.
June 25, 2012 at 11:37 am #18914

Marcy

Regarding the beetles- I just turned my compost to find perhaps hundreds of them in the pupa stage (at least I think). I am disheartened. Perhaps I am not turning the compost enough. Now, I think my best action is to remove what I can from the pile before the beetles mature. My question is – what can I do to make sure I don’t play such a lovely host to them in the future? It seems they are attracted to the compost pile. Would mily spore help in the compost itself?

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