someone please help!!!

11 years ago

So I was in Florida for a week and a half and last Sunday we got home safe and sound.

Right away, I went outside to check on all my plants. I have to admit I was VERY concerned with there well being due to this crazy heat wave/drought that we have been having.

On average I want to say we have been a good 5+ degrees hotter than normal(and a few days we were 10 degrees warmer.) which has been great for the plumerias but we have not had the much needed rain that they need to grow and bloom.

I am sure I am not the only person experiencing this current weather situation. I have been watering by hand(because I like to add ferts to my water) every day since we have been back. Not every plumeria needs water daily, usually it's the plumeria that are over 4ft tall, and the plumeria that are sitting on my concrete.

When I was inspecting my plumerias, I realized that something had been chewing on the leaves of about 4 or 5 of my plumerias. The culprit was easily identified.....JAPANESE BEETLES!!! In some cases I found 3 beetles on one leaf! Today I went outside to check on my Dwarf Singapore Pink. 1 of the buds was half open yesterday and this morning it was fully open, with a Japenese beetle munching on the flower petal! That beetle was instantly smushed into the concrete!!

I also found a catepillar that I have never seen. It reminded me of a wooly bear catepillar, except for it was a beige color. It also had been chewing up leaves on my plumeria and also on my large 'Maha Chinook' mango tree.

I really hate the idea of having to use an insecticide. Especially on my tropical fruit trees. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? I have been hand picking them off my tropicals, and squishing them.

This year there seems to be a ton more of these nasty beetles. I am curious to see if anyone else has noticed if they too have seen more Japanese beetles or not.

Andrew

Comments (8)

pcput
11 years ago
Andrew, I know they make a trap for the Japanese beetles but have no idea how well they work. Just a thought. Welcome back. Glad you had a safe trip. Peg
tdogdad
11 years ago
sorry, Andrew. Wish I had an answer. I have not had either invaders. I have used a badminton racket on fig beetles when they fly around. Bill
Related Professionals
Citrus Heights Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Marina Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Salem Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Salisbury Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Woodinville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Dedham Landscape Contractors · East Hanover Landscape Contractors · El Segundo Landscape Contractors · McLean Landscape Contractors · Mesa Landscape Contractors · Raleigh Landscape Contractors · Golden Valley Landscape Contractors · Dumont Siding & Exteriors · Paterson Siding & Exteriors · San Diego Siding & Exteriors
Andrew Scott
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Peg.
Those Japanese beetle traps are a VERY bad idea! That actually bait them with pheremones or something similiar. Beetles will come in from everywhere. so even though you may find tons of dead beetles in your traps, your actually going to end up with worse of a problem!

Hi Bill,
How ya feeling? Thanks for trying to help me. For now, I will just patrol my plumerias and kill them as I find them. Well, I need to get going so I can finnish potting up my bare rooted plumeria I brought back from Florida Colors.

Glad to hear you bought Taj Mahol, and the Rhonda. I love Taj even though mine is currently infested with spider mites. I did find a second inflo on a tip that just formed this year!

Still no signs of inflos on Rhonda but it does look really healthy. These abnormally hot temps are really making my plumeria thrive!

Andrew
daogirl - SoCal Zone 9
11 years ago
Bill - LOL!! Sounds like a new summertime sport. I'm waiting for the first wave of fig beetles to show up ... it's almost time.

Andrew - I think I read somewhere that Neem oil spray will work on Japanese beetles - at least to deter them a little. I've never dealt with them myself, though -- good luck!!
Andrew Scott
Original Author
11 years ago
Hi Daogirl,
Thanks for the suggestion but I have heard that neem is really nasty stuff. I hate using pesticides, but may have to result to using them. I found the japanese beetles gnawing on my baby mangoes for the second time today. What I think I am going to try first is beer. Apprently they like it..all you do is fill small containers and put them around your plants. The japanese beetles are attracted to the scent of it and they drown in the beer.

Andrew
beachplant
11 years ago
Neem is a plant oil, very safe.
Are Japanese beetles the ones you can trap by painting a board yellow & then covering it with something sticky like cooking oil? I know it works for whiteflies & some other insects.
I use need oil on my citrus, a big problem with scale here.
Tally HO!
TruNorth7
11 years ago
Welcome back Andrew!!! I hope you had a great time!

I haven't had japanese beetles, but cucumber beetles abound in my area. The beer hasn't worked for cumbersome beetles (get the pun? Lol, I'm laughing at my own lame joke...) but it's great for killing slugs/snails. I use small saucers and sink them down in the soil so the lip is flush with the ground. Light beer doesn't work very well; I use "Simpler Times" from Trader Joe's, which seems to be a favorite.

I am a huge fan of neem oil. I use organic neem oil and mix it with an emulsifier (soap) and water and lightly spray when I have insect problems. My understanding is that neem is safe, probably one of the safest options for any spray. It doesn't work immediately, but within a few days the bug population drops. Neem doesn't harm bees and other beneficial insects if you don't spray it directly on them.

My two cents...
Welcome back!

Rachel
casmith_ep
11 years ago
Andrew78, if you are just encountering Japanese Beetles, you are fortunate. This is the third of fourth year we've had them in Minnesota. Hopefully, Florida's turn will be short lived.

I heard mixed reviews about traps, but I tried them out in desperation this year (at a distance from my garden)--and they are actually helping quite a bit. I am also using Surround WP (kaolin clay) with some success, but that wouldn't be useful on ornamentals since it defeats their purpose of looking good.

My attempts with neem have been unimpressive, but I might try a higher concentration and see how it goes. It is toxic to bees so I'd suggest using it sparingly and only if nothing else works. Even just hand picking them and dropping into soapy water might be enough if numbers are small.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: My Unplanned Garden