Came home with a friend today and she said wow I love roses. Then she says look a rose bug, I use to play with these when I was a kid. I had never seen a rose bug so I looked at what she was talking about. She must have heard me gasp cuz she said what's wrong. I mashed the bas$!@# and frantically started searching the whole front yard telling her to find more.
I have never had them or been able to find one. I only scanned your forums about them briefly as I didn't have to worry about them.
She found the first one which was fairly big and was a green chrome looking thing. I found a second one that was smaller and was a brown chrome looking beetle. I couldn't find anymore.
I looked them up and yes they are japanese beetles. I've been watching the forums and a lot of folks have said there was a lot this year but I have never had them.
Why would I get them so late??? It has been raining here for four days now and it is 61 degrees. What gives.
I will start reading all I can on here to get rid of these things but any quick tips for me from you guys that have had them. Are there more lurking, waiting to come out from where ever they came from.
I don't really want to start spraying chemicals like a madman. I used up my last case of final net hairspray & butane lighters spraying slugs.
HELP please. I don't want to spend all night scanning the web and I want to get rid of those things first sign of daylight.
Thank you.
Joel.
This is not good. My first Jap beetle
It's pouring like crazy here.
Where do these jap beetles go when it's raining. I want to nail them while their congregating.
Thanks
check out some products from Bayer....also grub control wouldn't be a bad idea in May...then again in July I believe? Grubs are the larvae that turn into the J beetle...milky spore is ideal to put down... now for next year...
pent
Only two????? Wow consider yourself lucky......Keep a good eye out in your garden and check daily.....I would say chances are you will not get anymore...
Deann
Thanks Delane & Deann.
I spent this morning going through every plant on top and under leaves. I cannot find another one. (not that I'm complaining)
I did come across two other types I have never had. The green & red one looks like some type of leafhopper. The other one is really wierd. I have never seen this before. It is a large winged wasp type that is a deep chrome blue or purple. I don't think it is a wasp type though as I kept poking it to roll it over to get a pic and he never popped out a stinger. The back end looks like a wasp & could harbor a stinger.
I will have to look these guys up when I get off of here.
Delane, Do you know if that milky spore stuff takes 6 years to spread & become effective like I read about?
Let me see if I have this straight:
In April I cover my beds with Preen
May & June grub kill
Sept. Milky spore
Any other things and dates I should write down for maintanence????
Thanks folks.
Joel.
Chrome blue whatever it is
Chrome blue 2
penth2o,
That picture is NOT a jap. beetle. I don't know what it is.
Grub control will also kill some beneficials in the soil...Worms i believe.
So be careful and only apply as necessary or hand pick your bugs and don't use chemicals!
You have to ID your predators and then you may find some harmless killers..
Many bugs are thwarted with a plain burst of water or mild soap wash to the leaves.
People here have great remedies to kill bugs..... But you need to ID the bug!!
Milky spore is in great question as the researchers at MSU Horticulture School have done much research on the subject and can not find any difference in plots that have/ have not had milky spore.
But there are still those who attest to it.
It is very-VERY expensive to use so I would go to the MSU site / or the internet and plug in 'Milky Spore' and read about what MSU has to say about their field trials with the product.
Jazz
Hi Jazz,
No these pics are of the two new bugs I found while looking for the jap beetle. I didn't get a shot of the jap beetle as I was too busy mashing the two I found and looking for more. I positively I dentifiyed the two japs as japs.
I found out that chrome blue bug in the pic above is a black/blue wasp. I haven't found out what the green & red things in the first pic are yet.
I'll read on the milk spore before I try it. Thats what I was wondering as I read it takes 6 years for it to spread & a lot of pros & cons about it. I'll read more.
Thanks..
Thats how it starts out...just a few and then every year they increase. They like sandy soil to lay their eggs in. Lucky you huh?
Milky Spore starts working immediately as long as there are grubs in the soil, so it would be pointless for you to apply it until you have much higher numbers in your area.
It does take 2-3 years to spread through your soil but no way does it take 6 years.
I have plague numbers of JB since 2006 and put MS down last year.
Time will tell.
Its really too late in the growing season to be worrying about anything.
Next spring look into beneficial nematodes for grub control.
Hello Vickie and penth,
I have put down Milky spore 2 xs on my 3/4 acre lot. I will say i have NEVER had an invasion.
I did have more this year than i ever remember having in 20+ years i have lived here.
However, I still consider a handful of the bugs almost nothing!!
I am not sure if it is milky spore or ???
I am unsure of what keeps me having less than other of my gardening friends.
And then again I have some friends who have never used any combatants and have seen NONE this year.
So what is the truth ...I don't know.
I just believe you should be informed on the products you want to use and then make your informed decision.
Vickie how is your yard this year with the Milky spore? Are you seeing any differences?
I am not sure what their favorite foods are but i have over 200+ roses and sandy soil!!
I found them this year chomping on my 20 or so Hibiscus!!
That was a first.
How about you all?? What are they eating in your yards?
Julie
This is the first year I found beetles on the roses and they look like a metallic copper color. Anyone know what they are?
I just shook them off and stomped them. Old fashioned but effective.
Punk,
Hard to see the bronze metalic color in this pic but you have Japanese beetles.
Thanks Julie,
I think I'm going to hold off on the milky spore til I see just how bad it gets next year. This is the first year for all my beds but one. I think I might try some Grub X or what Vickie was talking about nematodes.
I don't know what the heck that is but it sounds deadly. I'll have to look that one up...
Japanese beetles???!!! I went out and looked but didn't find any today. They probably can't hold on to the bush in this wind!
was the one you found like the one in the pic?
Check all over the plant including under all petals & leaves. Right in the center of the rose too. The part that is closed up tight.
This message was edited Aug 30, 2009 1:15 PM
Exactly like the picture. That's the bugger alright. I'll have to look again. Do they eat the flowers, the leaves or the whole plant?
I don't know I only found two. One chrome green & one chrome bronze. They were eating the flower when I found them. I got them early and have not found another yet..
I started to read on them but never finished.
You know how the web is... Your searching for something and see something else and get sidetracked and four hours later ask yourself what the hell did I start out looking for???
Maybe one of the pro's will chime in here.
Julie I think I have less this year but its hard to say.
I did notice they were late this year.
I guess its takes 2-3 yrs. to see a big difference.
I still have more land I need to apply it on.
well I'm not a pro...but here's my 2 cents...^_^
I have sand cherries that they devour....this year was not bad at all..
last year and the year before were bad...they made the leaves look like
lace...milky spore is the only thing that I've heard that really cures the problem...and yes Vicky they were late this year...but that's ok I think all the rain confused them or detoured them...lets hope anyways :)....
Happy "almost" Fall Ya'll ^_^