How Does One Deal with infestation of Japanese Beetles!?!

[FriedaKateM]

I have worked very hard & long to have somewhat of a garden, although leaning this year more to flowers. I planted borage, catnip, lemon mint, a basil, cornflowers, zinnias, marigolds, some shorter type of cosmos. I did most because they are bird & bee attractors. However, just about 4 days ago, I thought, Oh, wow, my zinnias are blooming! But upon close inspection, they were being skeletonized by Japanese beetles, those black beetles with iridescent backs. I came in & got a small can filled with kerosene, & went to each plant, either knocking the little creeps off, or picking them off, & dropping them into the kero. We'd done that a long time ago, when growing lots of potatoes, with the potato bug. I even found one a few days later eating a cosmos flower! He joined his dead pals in the can. We've also had so much rain, either downpours, or short, scattered showers, so it's hard to get out & cut grass as well. I have been eating (on cheese/turkey sandwiches) a bit of my red lettuce, seed of which was free with order last year. It looks like a reddish oak leaf lettuce. I had some in the sink in water, & then fished it out, to drain on paper towels/towel. My two cats decided they wanted to eat the lettuce, & were more attracted to it than to their "homegrown" catnip!! These are just a few musings on my part, in regard to gardens!! How's everyone else's gardens? Joan

[albalad]

Re: How Does One Deal with infestation of Japanese Beetles!?!

Joan, if you want to try it the natural way, I've got a book here on companion gardening which says that garlic, chrysanthemums and chives will repel Japanese beetles. It also says that 'four o"clocks' will both attract and poison them - I don't actually know what 'four o'clocks' are, some sort of flower, I imagine; I mostly grow vegetables. I haven't tried this, mind you, but that's what the book says. You could try growing these among the affected plants and see if it helps.
For a short-term chemical solution, Diazinon should do it, otherwise - Pick 'n' stomp!
The gardening season here I can only call weird. I had daffodils and bluebells in bloom around the house a fortnight ago, and the tobacco plants out the back flowered a month ago - not yet halfway through winter, this normally doesn't happen until September. Makes me wonder what's going to happen in the Spring.

[FriedaKateM]

Re: How Does One Deal with infestation of Japanese Beetles!?!

Boy, you guys down in that hemisphere have such different birds, & also times/ways of gardening. I do have about 6-7 garlics growing, but they're two beds over. The only thing the Japanese beetles went for was the zinnias...whole plant, flowers/leaves, & the cosmos flower. I have seen them (in past) eating white flowers from my lovely Rose of Sharon. The means I used was about the quickest way I've found. I also have marigolds close by. Thanks for input!

Joan

[Lizzie]

Re: How Does One Deal with infestation of Japanese Beetles!?!

Hi Joan:

Well, we seem to have our troubles with garden invaders. Last year, I was dealing with one rather fat woodchuck (fat from vegetables). This year, I'm quite exhausted dealing with his family. Been a running battle reseeding and reseeding with the fence reinforced time and time again and is now nothing short of a fortress. Early in the season, I dug a 90ft ditch and sunk metal fencing on three sides of the fence. The problem is the back fence against a hedge. The little varmint was using the branches, even made a depression in the metal wiring, to gain access over the fence. Soooo! I got out my clippers and hacked a 45 angle into the hedge and laid metal wiring attached to the top of the fence as an overhang. Five days now and no nibbles. Do I think I have won?

[FriedaKateM]

Re: How Does One Deal with infestation of Japanese Beetles!?!

Hi, Lizzie...I do believe that perhaps you may stop him, but remember we're the "intruders" in their natural world! I will keep my fingers crossed that you'll outsmart him. I found more Japanese beetles munching on the catnip & basil flowers, but used my kero solution...not there anymore. I have NO outside cats either now, as they followed their "natural" instincts & left! I'm on your side!



Take care, Joan