Feller Landscape Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Serving the Chicagoland counties of DuPage, Kane and Northern Cook.  Over 25 years of experience!

 

 

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Japanese Beetles - Part Two

What can be done about Japanese Beetles?

 

 

 

 

No quick fixes can rid homeowners of the Japanese beetle once it becomes established. However, scientists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have developed an integrated pest management (IPM) program for homeowners based on field experiences. The program combines biological, cultural, and chemical strategies. It will be effective if homeowners are willing to monitor both adult and larval beetle populations closely and implement this program with neighbors and their local agricultural or horticultural organizations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes people can suppress the population of pest insects by making the habitat less suitable for them. Cultural methods typically employed in the control of the Japanese beetle include planting resistant plant species and using mechanical traps designed to attract and trap the adult beetles.

Diseased and poorly nourished trees and plants are especially susceptible to attack by beetles. Therefore, keep your trees and plants healthy. Also, prematurely ripening or diseased fruit is very attractive to beetles. Remove this fruit from the trees and the ground. The odor of such fruit will attract beetles, which are then in a position to attack sound fruit.

Although the Japanese beetle feeds on almost 300 species of plants, it feeds sparingly or not at all on many cultivated plants. The various kinds of plants on your property can significantly influence the susceptibility of your property and plants to Japanese beetle damage. Having a well-dispersed mixture that favors non-preferred species can reduce the level of beetle-caused damage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millions of beetles are captured annually in mechanical traps. This method is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce beetle populations and curtail egg laying. Under favorable conditions, a trap will capture only about 75 percent of the beetles that approach it. Because the traps actually attract more beetles than they capture, be sure not to put traps near your garden or your favorite plants. Put traps at the borders of your property, away from plants the beetles may damage. Traps are most effective when many of them are spread over an entire community.

Homeowners who choose to give the mechanical traps and lures a try as part of their IPM program can typically find them at yard and garden centers.

Traps should not stay in place year round because the lures inside get stale. Trap placement should be timed to coincide with the emergence of adult Japanese beetles in your area. Adults generally emerge between early June and late August.

Communication can be a valuable tool in controlling the Japanese beetle. Talk to your neighbors regarding possible solutions for this problem pest. Organize a neighborhood turf and garden group.