I haven't had any yet but saw one (just one) at my client's. They didn't arrive last year until around the 2nd week of July. Every year I hope that this will be the year they just sort of disappear, but that never happens.

The winter of '03-04 was a real setback for them. We had record low temps for a long period, and the ground froze very deep. No snow cover either. Many of the grubs froze. That following summer I had hardly any JBs, it was bliss. But each year since then they have been increasing in numbers close to their previous population.

I spoke too soon---I saw my first one this morning---squashed him flat, the *&%$&*&*^^% bugger!!

I have killed several JBs in my zinnia patch the last few days.

Don't forget to spare the ones that have one or more little white dots on their thorax or occasionally on their wing covers. Those are parasite eggs that will eventually hatch and kill the JB and produce more parasitic flies that will be responsible for killing many JBs. The parasitic flies have been released here in Maine as a natural control for Japanese Beetles.

MM

4th of July

Funny thing, my neighbor and I were just talking last night about how the beetles seem to be late or, fingers crossed, not coming this year. We were patting ourselves on the back when, lo and behold, we both spotted swarms of beetles covering her lilac and my hydrangea. Sigh. No, we do not get a break.

I am a little concerned that, of the dozens of JBs I have killed recently, only two were spared because of the parasitic fly eggs. Last year it was at least one in five. For some reason, the parasitic fly is losing out in our neighborhood.

MM

maineman, I have noticed the same thing. Not very many beetles with white dots. Far less than the last few years.

Well if it provides any solice, I picked 5 JBs the other day and 3 of them had the parasites.

Well, I thought I was going to be lucky this year and finally enjoy my gardens with no JB's. How wrong I was, they made their appearance last week and were starving when they reached my gardens, they ate everything in site. The nasty buggers came in swarms so picking them off plants was impossible. Aren't there any birds that would enjoy eating slugs and JB's?
~Marilyn

I am hand picking over dozen a day now, and seeing a more encouraging number of white parasite fly eggs.

Marilyn, as far as I know we won't get any help from birds with either Japanese Beetles or slugs. Sluggo is a reasonably safe and effective measure against slugs.

There are several kinds of Japanese Beetle traps, although I haven't tried any of them.

MM

Xpando Japanese Beetle Trap

SpringStar Japanese Beetle Trap

PS For a more comprehensive selection, see Google's list of JB traps

Hello All;
I have successfully used milky spore at my home, my mother's house and a friend's. It is expensive but it last for twenty years. It also is not toxic so those of us with wells do not have to worry. If you need more info, let me know.
I do not know what you mean by the ones with the spots, can someone enlighten me? I see a few in my yard as my neighbors do not use the milky spore and there are a few that escape.
Thanks. diene

Diene,

"I do not know what you mean by the ones with the spots, can someone enlighten me?"

The beetle in this link is atypical, because you usually see only one or two eggs per beetle. I can't recall having seen over three eggs on a beetle.

In the last two or three weeks I have released several dozen beetles that had one or two eggs on their thorax. In previous years I have occasionally seen an egg on the head or on a wing cover, but this year the eggs have all been "on target". This Japanese Beetles Ruining Gardens article may be of interest.

MM

Good Morning MM;
I have been using milky spore which is the beneficial nemotode discussed in the article as a safe method of controlling the beetles. We have not had any beetles in my yard in two years but this year I have seen some on the clematis decorating the mailbox on the street. There is obviously nothing I can do to keep them from leaving a neighbor's yard to come here. Thanks for the picture of the eggs, that is a very strange thing to see. I guess it is too late for that this year. diene

diene, milky spore disease and beneficial nematodes are two different organisms.

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the great information about Japanese beetle control i.e.parasites.
First time I heard about that one,am familiar with milky spore but have not used it.
We moved from a home where I used to literally go out and kill hundreds a day.

So here at the new house I have planted over 100 roses since April 1st ( YES I start very early ) and I was so happy that I didn't see any Japanese beetles for a long time until they came in hordes towards the end of July.
Will have to see if I see any with eggs on them.Are they clearly visible?

Eglantyne,

"Will have to see if I see any with eggs on them. Are they clearly visible?"

They are clearly visible, as you can see from {{gwi:15795}}. You can also see the eggs clearly in the link I gave on August 8, except that you don't usually see nearly that many eggs. One or two eggs per beetle is more common.

MM

This is so amazing. My husband and I were talking the other day about when a bug or other pest would be discovered to kill jb's. I go around about 4 times a day to all my plants and "gather" about 100 beetles a day in a plastic tumbler with a bit of water in it. (they can't fly out). Then I feed them to my chickens. From now on, I will be looking for the eggs and will spare those. Thanks. Merry

When the beetles first came out this year, I noticed about 30% had parasites. These days, I'm not seeing any. We used to have a huge beetle population here, until a wild pack of guinea hens strolled through the neighborhood. Three years later, the entire neighborhood has noticed a huge decrease in pest populations, including ticks! Japanese beetle population is down about 80%.

Amy

I haven't seen any spotted ones, but the population is only slightly larger than in the last 2 years. They seen mostly content with hops vine leaves & wintercreeper, and haven't landed very often on my clematis. Most of the time I am finally brave enough to hand squash them like the lily beetles.

Marie

I wish we could justify a small flock of guineas. Unlike chickens, they don't damage the gardens and they do eat a lot of pests, including ticks. And I think they look pretty wandering around. We used to have both white guineas and pearl guineas when I was growing up on a farm in Oklahoma. They also served as a noisy "watch dog".

MM