Wondering how to get rid of Japanese Beetles? The best way for controlling Japanese Beetles is attacking both the adults and their offspring. With a few simple steps and some diligence these harmful pests can be banned from your garden forever.
Fighting Japanese Beetles
Life Cycle
Japanese beetles are quite stunning insects, metallic green in color with copper wings they are easy to spot and stand out in any garden. They can cause damage to your garden as adults or larvae. Japanese Beetle eggs hatch in late summer. The larvae feed on grass roots until it gets cold. Then the Beetle larvae burrow deep into the ground. In spring they start feeding again and emerge from the ground in late spring as beetles. As larvae they eat the lawn roots and cause the lawn to die. As adults they eat the leaves and flowers of quite a few different plants.
Signs of Infestation
Japanese Beetle larvae damage is easy to spot. You will see patches or brown sod on your lawn. You can pull up the brown area easily and you will see the larvae under the sod.
Japanese Beetle adults fly around your garden looking for food. They eat leaves leaving a lacy skeleton behind. The will eat the leaf and leave the leaf vein.
Eradication and Prevention
Killing Japanese Beetles can be done using natural controls or pesticides. Adult Japanese Beetles can be controlled using traps, repellents, or simply picking them off your plants by hand.
Controlling Japanese Beetle larvae is best done with insecticides. Controlling Japanese Beetle adults is best done using natural methods.
The best time to treat the Japanese Beetle larvae is in early spring or fall. Japanese Beetle adult treatment should be done mid-spring through summer.
The natural way for controlling Japanese Beetle larvae involves two processes. The first is simple aeration. Purchase some aerator sandals from a garden center or catalog. As you walk across your lawn and aerate the soil the larvae get spiked and are killed. Another method is to spread milky spore disease over your lawn. This bacterium paralyzes the larvae so they cannot fee.
For controlling Japanese Beetles that are adults there are a few natural methods you can try. Lure traps are very effective. They attract the beetles inside where they contact a poison and die. Put these far away from your garden so the Japanese Beetles do not stop off to munch on your plants on their way to the trap. You can also handpick the Japanese Beetles that you find feeding on your plants. Drop the adult Japanese Beetles into a jar of kerosene and water. Finally, there are some plants that will actually repel Japanese Beetles. Plant Larch, White Birch, Chrysanthemum, Garlic, Rue or Tansy.
Japanese Beetle Favorites
If you use insecticides for controlling Japanese Beetles be sure to read the insecticide label thoroughly and follow the directions exactly. Always wear a protective facemask and verify with your local nursery if these chemicals will be harmful to children, elderly and animals. Be sure to alternate the chemicals you use so the Japanese Beetles do no develop immunity to one substance.
Japanese Beetle favorite plants include roses, asters, iris, and viburnum. They also enjoy feeding on fruit like blueberries and grapes.
Begin seasonal treatment for Japanese Beetles in the early spring. Treat you lawn with aeration and milky spore disease dust. If you see dead patches of grass pull these spots back and look for the larvae. In summer look at you plants carefully and remove the Japanese Beetle adults you see by hand. Remove damaged blooms as Japanese Beetles might be hiding in them. In late summer look for the larvae on the lawn surface. If you have a sever infestation then dig up the lawn where the larvae are feeding and expose them. Treat with insecticide and plant new grass seed or sod.