Won't hurt.
Any secret weapons for the dreaded Japanese Beetles?
i think the counterplantings might discourage the jb's from a certain plant, but do not think it will any substantial size area clean of them.the opposite counter planting can work too...plant something they like in enough quanity to keep them off other plants.
i have a long hedge row of a french willow shrub that they love. i have found that at least they say pretty centered there and when the jb popluation ramps up i do the soap and sevin mixture. since i put these fast growing shrubs in they rarely bother other plants, even my oalkleaf hydrangea that used to be the favorite.
i have turkeys and guineas. i don't have jb this year
i do miss having guineas. the watch bird cries and the bug free conditions. but they are destructive in certain flower beds(at lease for me). and i loved that they are snake killers too.we had guineas the forst 5 years on this property ( 2 acres)and i never saw a snake in that time.
we have a copper head problemhere. but i haven't seen one this year
Hart, I'm still using my 2 beetle bags. Since I sprayed the Sevin/soap mixture there haven't been hardly any beetles here. Even those green june bug beetles are gone. There were literally 1000's of them here. Tomorrow I put down the Milky Spore. Next month I'll apply the nematodes. I'm still finding grubs everywhere in the soil. Wouldn't you think they would have all turned into flying adults by now????
The Sevin works great. I only use the bags so that I don't have to keep reapplying the Sevin when the infestations are bad.
I know nothing about the lifespan of those disgusting little grubs, so I looked it up. Apparently those are the grubs from eggs laid this year that will turn into beetles next summer. I found this article on Gardens Alive and thought it might help. It only take them about two weeks to go from egg to grub. The grubs eat the roots of plants through the fall.
You can look at their butts to tell what kind of beetle they're going to become.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2510.html
"So, Stormy, what have you been doing today?"
"Oh, I've been checking out grub butts."
ROFLMAO Hart!!!! Grub butt checker that I am wishes I'd put that Milky Spore down today. This rain would have surely helped it soak in some. Did you all get any hail? I did put that Diatomaceous Earth down in the beds around the house on Monday. If I cut down on the ant & crawling insects, the grubs will have less to eat and maybe there will be less beetles and slugs and voles!!!
JB are such a fact of life here, I'm so surprised when I read on DG of places that don't have them. Of course, without you Hart, I wouldn't even know what a June Bug was. Guess we all have firsts!