Control of Japanese Beetles.

Get some Neem on your susceptible plants. Neem acts as an anti-feedant; you'll still see beetles on your plants, but the damage will be greatly reduced.

A quick spray of insecticidal soap when you see the greatest insect activity will knock down lots of beetles upon contact, but not have any residual effect. The combination of the neem and the (commercial) soap applications could be very helpful with the least effect on non-target 2, 4, 6, 8,etc. legged animals.

I know this is not something everyone could do, however, it's worked for me for several years. I have a Pepper Vine planted on the side of my potting shed. The JB's love it and never bother anything else in my garden. My vine is very large so the JB's have plenty to eat without "roaming" the rest of the garden.
Jan

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give it a try. Strangely enough, the beatles on my geraniums were laying dead on the leaves when I checked yesterday. Geraniums must be poisonous to them....YAY!!! Isn't there something you have to treat the yard with, so I won't have them next year???

Thanks "terramadre". I didn't see the link you posted when I just posted about treating the yard.

Yes, geranium is an intoxicant for Japanese Beetles. It doesn't kill them outright, but paralyses them, making them very vulnerable until the effects wear off.

Attached is an image of the beatles. ;-)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:364011}}

Hi Rhizo....I had no idea about the geraniums. I hate these bugs. My beautiful magnolia blossoms, the ones you gave me so much helpful advice in moving from Atlanta to Birmingham last year are just eaten alive. The JB's never touched the magnolia's in Atlanta or the geraniums. Basically, just my roses. I have never seen them like this. My gosh, if these things last through June, I won't have anything left. I did finally spray them, and they were gone. But are back now and multiplying. BTW..I couldn't get the link you gave me to open.

No sign of them here yet... I thought I had another month or thereabouts until they came out. Not so in No Al?

Shay....that link was just a picture of the Beatles. As opposed to the 'beetles'. Silly of me. ;-)

When it comes to beetles, one needs a sense of humor as Dori indicated.
VW beetle and {{gwi:364012}}

I've not seen any

{{gwi:364014}}

Here in Chambers County I have seen not one beetle (yet!) Maybe it is because there is nothing left to eat because of the drought.Even my day lilies have half dead foliage. My fear is that when it does rain that hoards of beetles will emerge and eat whatever is left.
Although it probably does not diminish the beetle population much, it gives me great personal satisfaction to kill them by holding a vessel of soapy water under the wads of beetles and gently tapping the stem so they fall in and drown.

No Japanese beetles in my part of Lowndes County but the armadillos are wreaking havoc. Totally uprooted a new Sum and Substance hosta. I'm just glad I found it before the sun got going good yesterday.

goldhillal, do you get Japanese Beetles that far south? I always think of them as a more temperate climate pest.

For example, when I lived in SC, I never saw the first one along the Lowcountry coast in 22 years, zone 8b. However, a couple of hours' drive up the highway, and there they would be!

Are these the "June Bugs" we tied strings to the legs of, as children?

I would 'hope' that everyone knows what a Japanese Beetle looks like, but perhaps not. ;-) June bugs and May beetles are quite different. There is also the plain, tan colored Asiatic Beetle, another common garden pest.

Japanese Beetles are smallish (but larger than ladybugs) beetles, metallic green on the head and thorax with copper colored wing coverings. They collect in large masses on their favorite foods, skeletonizing the leaf tissue.

I've still not seen one in Huntsville this season, but I expect to anyday now.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:364013}}

O Yes! We have plenty of japanese beetles here most years. Still have drought though and bet this has slowed their emergence a bit.
June bugs are much bigger than Jap. Beetles. Also June bugs do not eat plants as far as I know. Also June bugs are missing that row of white dots around the back of the abdomen, as pictured on this conversation.

how can I control beatles on my grape vine?

Managing Adult Japanese Beetles

i'm not far from goldhillal (auburn) and they have been here for around 8-10 years that i have noticed. not seeing nearly as many this year though. i hand-collect them rather than spray but wonder if that is what is causing the decline in population or do drought conditions affect the numbers?
so far, i have killed enough to approx. fill a 4 oz. cup but, in previous years, the volume was probably 4 times that.