Japanese Beetle
Introduced into the United States around 1916 from Japan, the Japanese beetle can be one of the most damaging insects to new garden blooms. Japanese beetles are about one-half inch long, are metallic green in color and have light copper-colored wings. The larvae’s (often referred to as grubs) bodies are off-white in color with brown heads and they grow to about one inch in length. One distinguishing mark found only on the beetle larvae is the last body segment has two rows of spines that form a V.
Just because you don’t see these pesky insects, does not mean you don’t have them. I work days and because these guys come out when the temperature is above 83 degrees Fahrenheit, I wouldn’t always catch them in the act of destroying my plants, unless I would catch them on a weekend. If your plants have leaves that are light in color and skeleton-looking, or flowers or fruit that has been devoured, that is a sure sign you have active Japanese beetles.
The life cycle of the Japanese beetle is two years. It spends 10 months underground as a grub before maturing in the spring. Both the beetles and larvae spend the winter in the soil and only live as adults for approximately 45 days.
The Japanese beetle is a sociable insect and you will find them grouped together feeding on one plant not leaving a flower or leaf untouched. They are not particularly found of cool weather or cloudy days and will not come out when it is raining.
Lawns can also fall victim to the larvae of the Japanese beetle. If you notice patches of brown or dead grass in the later summer or early fall, this could be an indication of destruction from the Japanese beetles.
There are several ways to get rid of this pesky nuisance. If you are able to see them during the day, one way is to handpick each individual insect off your plants and drop them in a bucket of warm, sudsy water. Keeping trees and plants free of overripe fruit is another deterrent. A high pH level in lawns discourages the grubs from living within the soil. Garlic, white geranium and rue are great repellent plants and beetles absolutely detest honeysuckle and forsythia. Larkspur which they are attracted to is actually fatal to them.
Birds, some parasitic nematodes and certain varieties of wasps are also harmful to the adult beetle and larvae.
Japanese beetle traps can also be purchased or made. To make a trap, cut a hinged double door on the side, near the bottom of a plastic gallon jug and bend the doors open. Punch a hole in the bottom of the jug and push about 10 inches of wire through the hole, securing the end of the wire on the inside with a washer. Make a bait sack out of muslin cloth and fill it with commercially produced lures or make your own out of ripe fruit. Tie the bait sack to the wire inside the jug and hang the jug upside down in full sun from a tree branch about 200 feet from your garden. Attach a small garbage bag to the jug opening on the bottom and punch some small holes in the bag to allow for drainage. Make sure the bag is open and not stuck together at the bottom.
There are also chemical sprays and dusts a gardener can purchase; unless they are like me and won’t allow any commercial chemicals anywhere near their garden.