If I'm going to do that, I'd probably rather knock them off into a cup of soapy water, which I did a lot last year. That way I get the satisfaction of seeing them die right away :-)
Yardening July 2015
Jeff, if you use Wet/Dry vac, an inch or two of soapy water in the bottom to start out drowns them the same as your cup and final collection can be flushed or dumped. I've never had any escape from Wet/Dry. Wet/Dry works well for stink bugs and seems to get them demised before they can stink much.
A regular canister vac is a matter of changing out bags, which I put in a brown paper grocery bag. fold it over tightly and dispose of in trash. Don't know how alive they are when they hit the landfill, but again no escapes. If you wandt to use same vac bag over multiple days, I'd remove it each day, put it in a clear plastic garbage bag and store in container with tight fitting lid just in case. I used to put a thick ziplock bag over the end of the vac hose and rubberband it when I was sucking up hundreds of gypsy moth caterpillars.
Maybe you won't see them die but you will hear them like little nails as they journey down the hose!
Good Lord Seq, I am so embarrassed that I missed reading that part (about the Bonide stuff being toxic to bees), thank you so much for pointing that out! How the heck did I NOT know that!?!? Shameful, just shameful. =(
Gita, if you really want a long-term preventative, your best bet might be Milky Spore. It kills grubs, which grow up to be Japanese Beetles. Yes, I understand that it takes a while to populate the soil, and yes, I understand that JB's are "flyers", and can just fly right into your yard from someone else's yard if they don't treat for them, but it can seriously improve your odds, AND it's safe for bees and earthworms. =)
No thanks, Speedie----I am NOT going that far.
Overall--compared to many others--I don't really get all that many JB.
I don't have enough of their favorite plants (except my 3 roses) to make
a big fuss over.
Milky Spore--if you can still find it--takes 3-4 years to colonize one's lawn.
HD has not carried it for 3 years now....I think....I remember it was clearanced out.
G.
Wow, was it really? I had no idea... wonder why.
Who knows! maybe someone got sick-so the whole line of HD's cancelled it.
You know how they are...I really do not know. They were a bit pricy--like $39+
or one of the containers. Maybe no one bought it?
But I do remember when those tubs went on the clearance rack...yellow-tagged.
Do you know that once something gets yellow-tagged (clearanced)--every 2-3 months or so-
the price gets lowered and lowered until it hits 1 cent.
Then--NO ONE can buy it! NO ONE!!!--and it either gets donated (depending what it is)
or goes down the Chute. Usually--down the chute.
Keep looking at the yellow-tagged items. When you see the price ending in a "3"--
that is the end of the road. Next will be 1 cent--and it is discarded.
That is how I bought the trimmers last spring. They were $12. 23. Two weeks later--
they were 1 cent. BUT--there were none left--as I, for one, would tell customers to buy it
as it was a great deal. And--they did.
Now--lets say no one has changed the tag yet--and lets say the price is "Y" tag--$1.99-
-but it really has gone to 1 cent--YOU, as the customer, do not know it--so you buy a dozen of whatever--@ $1.99--and when you go to check out--it rings up 1 cent. They HAVE TO sell it to you for 1 cent.
Twice I saw a burly construction guy buy a 6' wide, BIG roll of wire fencing. USUALLY-- $$$$!!!
It came up 1 cent--and he paid it and went home A VERY HAPPY MAN.
The 6' fencing rolls were clearanced out--not the 4' ones. The 6' were, probably,
lost somewhere in the overheads--and then someone brought it down and put it on the floor.
Sometimes, some things have been in the overheads for too long--and no one knows it.
If an astute associate sees it and brings it down--he/she should check the price.
I saw a man once buy a Grill for one cent!!!
He had been shopping and saw it in the overhead--and said--"I want that one"....
So we got the Order Picker and brought it down and he went off to pay for it. Cost?--1 cent !!!
Just thought you would like to now how some things work at the BIG BOX.
Gita
WOW, that is astounding, and really great info to know, thank you!!!!!!!!! I think I will print your info out and tack it to the cork board to remind me... we will be in the market for a new grill very very soon. =) THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥
No worries Speedie, I didn't know either a couple years ago until someone pointed it out to me. At first I didn't care that these products were toxic to bees. Then I realized how much I enjoy watching them work my flowers and that there really is a problem with decreasing numbers. You know, I've seen more honey bees this year than any of the past years I think. That's a good sign. Maybe someone has a new hive somewhere nearby.
Very interesting about HD pricing Gita.
I mainly grow for bees, have been doing so for a few years now (which I guess is why I'm so hard on myself about not knowing that about the Bonide stuff)... I just LOVE bees! I'm seeing more honey bees as well, not only at work, but around home too. I'm totally diggin' it! :)
Don't bee (see what I did there?) hard on yourself, we all have mistakes. I remember the first year I had my milkweed plant there was a caterpillar hungrily munching on it. I killed it. Now I realized that may have been a Monarch cat. Stupid me.
Speedie--
I have not seen grills 'clearanced" a whole lot. If they have been sitting
around too long, and start looking all dirty --you can ask for a "floor model discount."
Max they could give you off is $50.
There was a new grill brought in for the July 4th Back Friday--a NEXTEL (?)--
5 burners all SS construction, cast iron grids--for $199. We may still have it...
There was a small, 2 burner grill brought in as Fathers Day special--$99.
--Labor Day is coming...get there early as they may have more special ones for sale.
--Ask the week before if they will have a-Labor Day special sale on any grills.
They get all the promos a couple weeks in advance.
--ALSO--check homedepot.com for all upcoming sales on a reg, basis.
--Remember!!!! You can buy ANYTHING on-line and have it shipped to your
closest/favorite HD. They will call you when it comes in--and you just go and pick it up.
This way--NO shipping charges for you.
This is called BOPIS order--"Buy Online Pick Up In Store"..
Gita......:o)
I just bought a 5-burner NexGrill for $179 from Lowe's. Assembly was a bear but very nice grill for the buckage. :)
Cam--does Lowes not assemble its grills for free???? Shame on them!
HD does. The assemblers come every week and spend a whole day
assembling grills. wheelbarrows, whatever is needed.
Never a charge for any of it! G.
I think they do but I can't fit a grill in the back of one of my MINI Coopers so I chose to have it delvered to my house. Yeah, every not and then I pay a price for not having a pick up truck. hahaha
AW--Cam! That's when you call your buddies that have a P/U truck!
Buy them a 6-pack of good beer as a Thank You.
G.
Ha... two of my buddies have pickup trucks but they are brand new and they treat tme like BMWs and don't like to haul stuff in them Seriously ! I keep telling them they are like the person who buys a piano for their great room to show off to friends but never even learn how to play chopsticks. LOL
LOL! That was funnnnnyyy! G.
That's why you have to have a beater truck. I have an '89 Chevy 1500 with an 8' bed. It's got two scoops of mulch sitting in it right now. I can haul whatever I want without having to worry about scratching the paint or denting the bed.
Lol. all of our vehicles are beaters!
Haha...you're funny!
we're getting there too coleup! haha too funny. Get me there and back, that's what counts!
We rented a truck once from HD, although I can't remember what we were hauling home at the time.
Gita, thank you again for finding that bargain trimmer for me! I have been giving it a workout this year, not only for trimming grass but as a sort of "power machete" back in the orchard area or in the back of the garden where weeds have gotten ahead of me (if you can't do anything else about weeds -- deadhead!). I love not having a cord to worry about, and I rigged a strap to keep the weight off my arm. :-)
It is so nice outside--I will go out and mow the lawn.
I will also get out MY trimmer and do some edging...
Then make a huge batch of meatloaf from all the packages I took out
of my freezer when I was cleaning it. They were "a bit" AHEM...long in the tooth...
Waste not-----------Want not.....G.
OK, I'm gonna sound totally redneck here but we've got (Ahem)... 3 pickup trucks in our driveway. HAA!!! =) One is mine, one is Hubby Dear's, and the other is his work truck. Mine has a factory-sprayed bed liner, so I haul whatever the heck I want in it.. that's what a truck is for, isn't it!? Hubby's truck also has an 8' bed, and man we LOVE that thing!! We once came home from HD with a 7' pantry, 2 wall kitchen cabinets. and 2 floor kitchen cabinets, all in the bed of that lovely baby. WooHoo!! =)
Gita, thank you very much for that excellent advice, I will be SURE to take it!! Our favorite HD store is in Fredricksburg VA, quite a drive without knowing they have just what we want. Ordering online and having it sent there is a wonderful idea! A good excuse to make the drive worth our while and do lunch and a movie while we're at it! :)
The day I got my new Rav4, I drove from the dealership to the lumber yard and loaded it up with Trex. Oh well, I yam what I yam. Mike has a monster truck - chevy king cab, diesel dooley. One time, Cheryl and I went to Irwin Stone and drove back with a pallet of big stepping stones. The guys loading it never said a word other than to take it easy around the corners. When Mike got home and saw it, he chastised me up and down, saying that must be 2 tons in the bed of that truck. I shrugged and said it was 3 tons, and what was the big deal, since the truck can haul 3 1/2 tons. He said where in the he double toothpicks did I ever get that idea??? I said it is a Chevy 3500 - 3 1/2 tons, right? Well, the truck was fine but I never made that mistake again...
LOL
LMAO.... that's nearly as bad as my ex who was insulted when I asked her if she wanted me to check the oil in her car for her between oil changes. She was raised to know how to check her own oil, how dare I insinuate she needed help.
So fast foward about 8 months. Phone rings. It's her, asking me to come get her because her car died. I go there, check the dipstick and it's bone dry. I ask her to come here and check the oil for me. She pulls out the transmission dipstick and says, "it's fine".
Well--No meatloaf--and no lawn mowing and edging today.....
Tony (garden Supervisor) called me around 11:30AM and asked if i could
PLEASE come in and do some watering--as NO ONE was scheduledto do that. ????
and all the flowers were dry. How could I refuse--with all the hours cut to the bone?
So--I went in and started watering at 12:15PM. With several interruptions by customers-
that needed help here and there--and wanted to chat....I got done by 6PM.
Had to punch out--as if one goes over 6hrs. w/o a lunch break--it is a big NO-NO!
I still mowed my lawn when I got home...swept up all the clippings and came in at 8:30PM.
Tired...sweaty all over-- and ready for a nice, cold drink.
Have to make meatloaf tomorrow....I will be busy Saturday all day...Work on Sunday...
G.
Speedie---
When you are checking on-line for a product--there should be a link somewhere
that brings up all the stores that will show how many of that item they have.
It may be---"Stores"....
Maybe, that way, you won't have to drive so far to p/u your items.
Does not matter if it is your favorite HD or not.
Which IS your closest HD? G.
Boy the soil has dried out. I found a few things flat on the ground. I spent 2 1/2 hours in the yard after dinner, watering with a hose and weeding.
I watered and gardened for at least 6 hours today too.
My soil is dry too--I blame it on the maple trees.....Yuk bed is like chalk!
Hand-watered ALL my beds and pots and such.
Potted up my Fig plant--put it in a huge pot. I guess that means i will keep it...
Planted the 2 pots of Coreopsis today in the "Lost Bed". Nowhere else to put them.
The soil in that bed was like sand on a beach. Good soil--very well draining--but DRY! DAH.
Not full sun--but they will have to fend on their own. It gets filtered sun,,,
Still chasing the JB's with a soapy water cup in hand. Now they are feasting
on the 3 Hibiscus.....UGH! Wonder if I should get some of the Grub-X and put it down?
It will kill all the hatching larva from this summer's JB population. s well as next years.
It comes in a bag--and I don't really need all that...
Last year there were hardly any JB's. This year! Holy Cow!!!
g.
We got in after sunset this evening, after a lovely week in NC -- a quick 2-night stopover to see my in-laws in Winston-Salem, then a week at the beach at Emerald Isle with my family. I'll see what the yard looks like tomorrow... rain or not, I'm sure the weeds are waist high again!
Haven't had much rain while you were gone, Jill. IIRC, one shower that gave us about a quarter inch. So your weeds are probably only knee high. ;)
I'm glad you had a good time and got back safe! Were there any shark scares?
I've been mostly watering with a sprinkler, which is fine for flowers, but I realized today that it barely dampens the ground under shrubs so I'll hook up the soaker hoses tomorrow.
Welcome Home Jill!!! < =D Hopefully we will get the predicted rain for today, to make some weed-pulling (only knee-high, LOL!!) a bit easier for you. Just be careful of your arm!!
Muddy, I agree, soaker hoses are the ticket for your shrubs ... and trees, too. I always tell my customers at work NOT to rely on/use sprinkler systems to water their shrubs or trees, it just doesn't cut it. I love to get out there with my hose and water by hand, gives me some nice peaceful quiet time to just stand there (a gal 'out(standing) in her field') and enjoy the smell of growing things, the sounds of birdies, the sights of the bees and flutterbys on the flowers. Love those peaceful times! :)
I enjoyed some of that yesterday after I got the lawn mowed. And, talking about weeding... my goodness, I now wish I'd never put that mint into The Big Bed! Jeeeeez that stuff is unruly!!!!
Speedie - I plant my mints in large, (3 gal) bottomless landscape pots with the rim about an inch or so above the surrounding soil, with the soil in the pot a bit lower than that. As long as you keep roots/runners from escaping over the rim the plant stays put.
Oh I bet the beach was just lovely.
Ric is out there doing the watering right now, Just looked out and couldn't keep myself from hobbling out there to get a pic of the Hardy Hib that is looking spectacular this year.
Holly Hobble...what's up? I wish you weren't hobbling, whatever it is!
I think I'll be taking some Bead Fern out to make room for other ferns that really need the moist area I have. Japanese painted fern seems most in need of moisture, local Ostrich ferns are next in wilting. The Cinnamon fern is holding up nicely to this lack of rain as is Bead fern.
Good idea to plant mint in pots, greenthumb; I think I'll do the same now that I've ripped up most of the mint that was taking over part of my backyard.
Ostrich Ferns are also on my list of unruly plants! I just dug up several that were crowding out Bead Fern and a NOID fern. They are beautiful ferns, but give them an inch and they'll take over your entire yard if the conditions are right ; - )
Edited to add that your Hardy Hib is beautiful, Holly and that I hope you're okay!
This message was edited Jul 26, 2015 11:54 AM
My ostrich ferns have been going in toward the back of one corner of the tree line, behind where I'm planting other ferns and hostas. I think the hellebores back there will be able to contend with them...
Got some pretty crispy plants out there despite my neighbor's efforts. I was out watering and moving the sprinkler around on some new plantings... after reading Muddy's comment, I'm going to keep it running longer so it soaks in deeply.