Japanese beetles help

[JCBurg]

Neem merely interrupts the breeding cycle for these demons. I have found the Garden Tech version of Sevin most effective. I sometimes throw in Ortho Fruit and Vegetable stuff, just to throw the critters a curve ball. I also use Bonide Fruit Tree Spray early in the season, which has Carbaryl and malathion in it (as well as Captan).

I have added these to my list

 

[JCBurg]

This has been an excellent forum, I am so glad I posted! Thanks everyone for all the helpful information, I’ll try some of these spurious next year and maybe post on my progress then!

 

[Michael Alspaugh]

I have many fruit trees about 110 and have had these BUGGGERS for years I treat the ground a few times a year around my trees "With 7" to kill the GRUBBs. They seem to be dwindling in number after a couple years of treatment a few times a year spring summer and fall. I don't think travel too far unless you use those bate traps that lure them to you property that is a no-no unless you place them far away and put a five gallon bucket under it with water in it to drown the ones that don't get in the trap... Then find someone with chickens they love the BUGGERS!

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I do set traps far out. When I do, I need to drive out to them and swap the bags twice a day during the height of the beetle season. Plus nothing smells worse than dead JBs. I also treat the ground with milky spore in both the orchard and vineyard. I also have a spray program. One thing I know, JBs like grape and plum tree leaves (and knot weed, go figure). If I didn't do what I do, they would strip the trees and vines of green. Plus I fight the fungus year round. Sometimes I wonder why I do it.

 

[memnosine]

Yeah, and now I've got raccoon(s) as well. Grapes all over the patio every morning. JBs and raccoons and birds, oh my.

 

[BigH]

Sometimes I wonder why I do it.

When I first got into this, I would read stories about people trying to rejuvenate neglected vines. I would think "why would anyone let their vines go like that in the first place?" Well, now I know why!

H

 

[hitchiker]

JB are good they eat the eggs and larva of other harmful bugs send yours to South Ga.

 

[Dennis Griffith]

Well, if they just restricted their diet to that, it would save me time and money for sure.

 

[BigH]

JB are good they eat the eggs and larva of other harmful bugs send yours to South Ga.

Do you have a reference for this beneficial predation? Everything I have read indicates that JB are herbivores. Any chance you are thinking of some other bug?

From https://entomologytoday.org/2019/04...st-management-tips-japanese-beetles-soy-corn/

The Japanese beetle is a generalist herbivore, meaning it will feed on nearly any plant available, although it has shown some preference for certain plants.

H

 

[JCBurg]

I do set traps far out. When I do, I need to drive out to them and swap the bags twice a day during the height of the beetle season. Plus nothing smells worse than dead JBs. I also treat the ground with milky spore in both the orchard and vineyard. I also have a spray program. One thing I know, JBs like grape and plum tree leaves (and knot weed, go figure). If I didn't do what I do, they would strip the trees and vines of green. Plus I fight the fungus year round. Sometimes I wonder why I do it.

Because it’s worth it

 

[hitchiker]

Do you have a reference for this beneficial predation? Everything I have read indicates that JB are herbivores. Any chance you are thinking of some other bug?

From https://entomologytoday.org/2019/04...st-management-tips-japanese-beetles-soy-corn/

may have got my bugs wrong I was talking about lady bugs sorry


H

 

[treesaver]

School me on JB. We have always had big JB's that are around when fruit and berries get ripe. They are big shiney green and brown colored, a bit larger than the big brown june bugs that come out in the spring. I understand the ones that have invaded this country a number of years back are a smaller variety, that eat the leaves. Am I right so far? I do not have the smaller ones yet(thank God), but the big ones are eating my grapes, and have just started. Went out this afternoon, and they were thick on some of the bunches. Will the liquid seven work on those also? I really don't want to resort to malithion! Thanks

 

[Dennis Griffith]

I believe the ones that you are calling big JBs are really called 'Green June Beetles' and I rarely see them here. Just make sure you have a really short PHI on anything you spray them with.

 

[treesaver]

Never have seen a green June beetle around here. June bugs that I have seen are brown, both large and small ones, and are active at night at the first of summer, usually in May. Haven't seen a June bug in two months here. The link that Hitchiker had in his post, made no distinction of a large or small Japanese beetle, but the ones that were eating my grapes were bigger than the ones I seen in traps over in Mo when I visited a friend there a couple years ago. That is why I thought there were two species. This is the first year they have ate my grapes, and I worked them over with seven last night, and will do it again this afternoon. Body count was high! Think I will leave my chickens and guineas penned for a while, don't want them eating poisened bugs!

 

[treesaver]

Well I doused the JB with sevin as recommended, and must have got an extremely good kill, as I haven't seen one since. Been patroling the vines two to three times a day, and zero JB's! The frontenacs have been netted for a couple weeks now, and checked the brix yesterday, was up to 21 already. It surprised me it was that high already. Prolly pick next week. Thanks for the help on the seven, a few more days and I wouldn't have had any left!

 

[BigH]

The frontenacs have been netted for a couple weeks now, and checked the brix yesterday, was up to 21 already. It surprised me it was that high already.

Frontenac is a bit of a tease. Its sugar levels come up quick, but the acids take forever to drop off. At least that is how mine behaves.

H

 

[KevinL]

The frontenacs have been netted for a couple weeks now, and checked the brix yesterday, was up to 21 already. It surprised me it was that high already. Prolly pick next week.

Good to hear the issue is resolved. Double check the label of the Sevin that you purchased. If you bought an older bottle, it is Carbaryl, and will have a longer PHI than the Zeta-Cypermethrin newer Sevin which has a PHI of 1 day. So if you sprayed the older stuff you'll need to wait the full pre-harvest interval before you pull them.

Ditto on what BigH said about the Acid in Frontenac. Check your TA. For my Frontenac, TA is the harvest parameter, not the sugar. I wait as long as I can as long as the pH doesn't get too high.

 

[treesaver]

When I sent my bride to get it, I wrote down the Zeta Cypermethrin, and told her to only get that. Glad that was what I got. And yes on the acid! I have had several vints from my frontenacs now, and last year I let them hang till I was getting a fair bit of rasined fruit, but was pleased with the way the wine turned out. I have les trouble with the frontenac than with the acid in the norton. Have had pretty good success with hang time, the right yeast and cold stabilizing.

 

[Masbustelo]

Regarding Japanese beetles, I have had good luck daily shooting them directly with Sevin. I think maybe some of us are overlooking an organic solution that is inexpensive and perhaps no more time consuming. I'm thinking that Diatomaceous earth may very well be equally efficacious. It seems very little experimentation has been done with it on agricultural crops and Japanese beetles. I'm thinking of experimenting with it next year. That would allow me to go organic from July 1st until harvest. It would be very effective on aphids as well.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Regarding Japanese beetles, I have had good luck daily shooting them directly with Sevin. I think maybe some of us are overlooking an organic solution that is inexpensive and perhaps no more time consuming. I'm thinking that Diatomaceous earth may very well be equally efficacious. It seems very little experimentation has been done with it on agricultural crops and Japanese beetles. I'm thinking of experimenting with it next year. That would allow me to go organic from July 1st until harvest. It would be very effective on aphids as well.

Bug-A-salt is for shooting bugs with salt, , , wonder if it would work with diatomaceous earth?