Did you know that Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) feed on over 300 plant species? Plants in the rose or cherry families seem to be a favorite targets. The first one in my North Georgia garden appeared on June 1st.
Japanese beetle damage
In the past gardeners reached for an insecticide to handle the problem. Sevin spray, Carbaryl (1-naphthyl N-methylcarbamate), was a popular choice. However, Sevin is a broad spectrum insectide that kills other beneficial insects! Sevin kills over 100 different insect species, including bees.
If you want to attract the beetles to your garden, add a pheromone trap. You will attract them from all over your area. Seriously, they will bring more beetles to your garden. Maybe you can talk a neighbor into purchasing one!
There is an easier way to handle a Japanese Beetle infestation.
Fighting Back!
A jar of soapy water is your best weapon against Japanese Beetles.
To control the beetles simply pick them off of your plants and drop them in a jar of soapy water. Be aware that they will fly away so act quickly. So practice your technique of grabbing or forcefully knocking the insects into the jar. They will drown quickly.
When I was younger my family planted a fruit orchard. When the orchard was young one of my jobs was to pick off Japanese Beetles and deposit them into a jar of gasoline I carried around the orchard. Wow, the gasoline was not needed. Soapy water works just as well.
Worst case scenario, hang in there. They won’t be around for long!
They are indeed back. You have probably already seen Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica) in your landscape. They enjoy munching the leaves of roses, maple trees, cherry trees, peaches and grapes. They actually are a pest to over 300 plant species. A single beetle doesn’t do much damage. Unfortunately once a beetle finds a food source other beetles soon follow. It is the groups of beetles that do real damage.
These beetles will eat the leaves and petals of plants in the rose family.
Japanese beetles first arrived in the United States around 1917. As with many non-native species, in their home country of Japan they are not a major problem. This pest causes damage in the adult beetle stage as well as the larval stage. The larvae, or grubs, live in the soil and can do damage to plant roots.
We often get questions from gardeners about these pests and thought it might be helpful to share them with you:
Do you need to worry about this pest?
The Japanese Beetle season lasts 4-6 weeks, so realize they won’t be around for very long. They are not a major pest of vegetable gardens and generally eat the leave margins leaving a lacy-type leaf. They sometimes also eat petals and can damage fruit.
Do the Beetle Traps Work?
Yes, the beetle traps do work by attracting beetles from all over your area and bringing them to your yard! The traps contain a pheromone, a sex attractant, that can attract beetles that may not have visited your garden on their own.
If you decide to use traps, do not put them in the middle of your garden as you would just be bringing in additional numbers of the pests. Also, the traps will need to be emptied often. The dead beetles give off an ammonia scent that will repel other beetles.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your neighbors put out traps to attract your beetles to their yards?
Is Their a Non-Chemical Control?
Most home or community gardeners can control Japanese Beetles by simply picking the insects off the plants and dropping them in a container of soapy water. By regularly scouting for these insects and removing them, you will prevent any real damage. This is a great job for kids.
What if I Decide I Need an Insecticide?
There are insecticides available to kill Japanese Beetles but realize that the chemicals don’t affect just those beetles but possibly beneficial insects as well. Contact your local UGA Extension Agent for a specific chemical recommendation. As with all pesticides you will want to follow the label directions to the letter.
Paul Pugliese, Agriculture & natural resources agent for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office in Bartow County
Japanese beetles dine on canna lily branches Image credit – Sharon Dowdy.
With their metallic copper and blue-green bodies and bronze wings, Japanese beetles might be considered beautiful if not for the damage they cause. The plentiful beetles munch holes into the leaves of landscape plants leaving what is often described as skeletal remains.
Prior to last year, Georgia had a few years of drought and unusually mild winters. The warm, dry soil conditions were not conducive for Japanese beetle grubs to survive over the fall and winter throughout most of Georgia. This gave Georgia gardeners and landscapes a nice reprieve from the pest and its damage.
Perfect conditions return
This past winter was ideal for Japanese beetle grubs and home and commercial gardeners are suffering through a resurgence of adult beetles this summer. The severity of local Japanese beetle populations varies depending on temperature and soil moisture. Most surveys indicate that Japanese beetles do not occur further south than the “fall line” between Macon and Augusta in Georgia. Yet, they can be found as far north as Canada.
If you’ve fought Japanese Beetles before, there’s a good chance they will return to your landscape – especially if your have some of their preferred plants. Japanese beetles feed on more than 300 species of broad-leaved plants but prefer about 50 species. Commonly attacked hosts include peach, cultivated and wild grapes, raspberry, plum, roses, apple, cherry, corn, hibiscus, hollyhock, dahlia, zinnia, elm, horse chestnut, linden, willow, crape myrtle, elder, evening primrose and sassafras.
They love leaves
The good news is the beetles only affect the leaves of trees and shrubs, so healthy plants can tolerate significant leaf loss without long-term consequences.
Adult Japanese beetles live four to six weeks, lay eggs (mostly in mid-August) and die. If the soil is sufficiently moist, the eggs will swell and produce larvae in about two weeks. The rest of the year, the beetles live underground in a larval stage feeding on the roots of grass and other plants before maturing into adult beetles in the summer.
Japanese beetle larvae are plump, C-shaped white grubs often seen in the spring when garden soil is first tilled. The grubs need soil moisture to survive the winter. Frequently irrigated lawns and landscapes tend to have higher grub populations.
Adult beetles emerge from the soil and begin seeking out plants for food in late May and early June. The first round of beetles are known as “scouts” because they find a good food source and release pheromone scents to attract more beetles. The masses then gather to feed and mate.
Control the first ones!
The key is to catch the early arrivers as soon as possible. Handpick or knock adult beetles off plants and drown them in soapy water. This is an effective control option for managing small infestations and preventing them from attracting more beetles.
Pheromone lure traps are not recommended for general Japanese beetle control in a small garden. They tend to attract more beetles to the area than would normally be present. Trapping should be done in areas away from gardens or landscapes to lure beetles away from desired plants.
Adult beetles can be controlled with over-the-counter insecticides. During heavy beetle outbreaks, sprays may be needed every seven to ten days to protect high-value, specimen plants like roses. A single application of a longer-lasting systemic insecticide, like imidacloprid, needs to be made 20 days before adult Japanese beetles are expected — usually around mid-May. Most systemic treatment options are not labeled for use on plants that produce edible fruits. Read and follow pesticide label’s application rates and safety precautions.
Controlling the grub stage generally has little effect on the overall damage caused by adult beetles, since adults can fly into your landscape from up to a mile away. Most homeowners rarely have grub populations large enough to cause damage to home lawns. Treatment may be necessary if more than five to ten grubs per square foot are present in lawns. Late summer and early fall insecticide applications are most effective at killing young grubs.
