japanese beetle alert s.e. michigan

levad · July 10, 2008

...more than a few beetles on the golf course today

matereater · July 11, 2008

Saw a pair 'doin it' on my rasberries yesterday, chopped em in half with the clippers I had with me. That's the first time I've ever seen them in my garden and I've been here almost 20 years.

**carolyn137** · July 11, 2008

I think most folks knmow that the JB problem started here in the East and has been wending its way west.

At the height of the initial invasion I could see them on my roses, and marigolds they love, and all sorts of other flowers and also on blackberries, but never did I see one JB on my tomatoes or any other veggie that I was growing. And that was the same as the commercial farmers that I knew in the area; no JB's on the tomatoes.

If you're seeing them on your tomatoes does that mean that they've changed with time as to what they like to chew on?

bcday · July 11, 2008

Every year I occasionally find one here or there on a tomato plant and this year I've also seen one on a potato plant, but they didn't seem to be eating the plants. Maybe they are just resting, or maybe just taking an experimental nibble?

I don't feel like waiting around to see whether they're going to eat the leaf or fly away so I just tip them off the leaf and into a little tin can half full of soapy water.

I am seeing plenty of them on the roses, usually nestled into the center of the blossoms where I have to inspect each individual blossom to find them. They seem to be very fond of grape leaves too.

Yesterday I was knocking JB's off the grapevines into soapy water when I turned a grape leaf over and was shocked to find an enormous tan beetle half the size of my thumb busily chowing down. What on earth -- I never saw a beetle the size of this critter in real life in my own back yard. It sure wasn't a JB! I put the leaf with the beetle into a large clean jar until I could find out what it was. It turned out to be a Grapevine Beetle. I hope there aren't very many of them around, because it chewed that leaf to practically nothing in no time flat.

gssgarden · July 11, 2008

I don't want you guys to miss out on all the fun so I'll send some of the little buggers your way! And I'm being nice by calling them buggers.
They hit my Eggplant and Beans good this year. Saw them on my toms but didn't see damage.

Greg

Tomaddict · July 11, 2008

In my experience, Japanese beetles are a real problem for a couple of years when they first invade an area, then after that the population fades to where they become a minor nuisance. They do really hammer rose of Sharon, roses, raspberries, and sassafras (which grows wild here in SW Michigan), but don't do too much damage to most garden crops. Certain green bean varieties can get hit pretty hard when the populations are high, but I found other bean varieties (notably Fowler's) that they seem to ignore. Never have had more than an occasional wayward JB on the tomatoes.

Your best bet is to have a neighbor put up one of those pheromone traps and attract many of the JBs in the neighborhood over to his place. If you use one of these traps when the beetle problem is bad, (1) keep it well away from your garden, and (2) be prepared to frequently empty the bad of the disgusting mass of beetles it will collect.

Take heart, in a couple of years they won't be such a problem!

**Lee** · July 11, 2008

Quote:

Take heart, in a couple of years they won't be such a problem!

I only wish this were true in the south.
Once here, they lay eggs and the larva lie dorment underground. One spring arrives, they awake and begin feasting heavily on grass roots. Then in the middle of June, bam! Up from the soil comes hundreds of these swarming pests to feast upon roses, japanese maples, crepe myrtles, string beans, etc....

Evil little jokers they are. Perhaps the cold winters keeps
them in check in MI? If so, be thankful!

Lee

shelleybean · July 11, 2008

I hadn't seen a JB in years and then they showed up on my beans last year. This year they're back on the beans (both snap and butter beans) and eating quite a bit of the foliage on my okra, but leaving the pods alone.

Aren't the JB larva supposed to attract moles or voles to your yard, too? My lawn is a mess thanks to those critters and now they're back by my garden.

kdoble · July 11, 2008

I too fight the good fight with the JB's and this year I'm finally beating them to the punch. They attract eachother to the garden so you must catch them as soon as you see them starting to appear. Last year we went on vacation for a week and by the time we got back, I had NOTHING left on any of my rose bushes, crepe myrtle, harry lauder and weeping cherry but leaf skeletons. Ugh, I was never so disgusted with an insect! The good news is they didn't touch my tomatoes or jalapenos! I tried the phermone traps and then my neighbors thanked me for keeping the JB population down in their yards, so I'm done with those. I have found the best thing to do is go around with a cup full of soapy water and tap them in ~ they die instantly. To the best of my knowledge JB's have no natural predators.

bcday · July 11, 2008

I think that efforts to establish the JB's natural enemies here from Japan have not been very successful. But there are other predators already here -- birds, small mammals, and several insects -- that will feed on the JB grubs in the soil. One of the most effective predators on JB's here is the European Starling. Along with chickens, starlings are one of the few birds that will eat the adult beetles as well as the grubs.

http://www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/pubs/el37.htm
http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/fea508.html

Ruth_10 · July 11, 2008

We had Japanese Beetles in southwest Michigan as long ago as 1997. The first year they arrived in force they kill several ornamental tree/shrubs around the house. They really love raspberries and especially grapes.

We have them in Missouri as well. They are bad this year. They don't touch the tomatoes, peppers, cukes, etc, but occasionally I'll see one on the corn. They also like okra. Their favorite in the garden is beans, especially pole beans. They love Blue Lake, Kentucky Blue, Fortex, and Neckargold. They pretty much leave Dragon Tongue, Tendergreen, Uncle Steve's Italian, and Brown Speckled Greasy beans alone.

And of course they are going after the wild grape on the property. I'm wondering what the vineyards on the other side of the river do to control them.

levad · July 12, 2008

the golf course was near romeo, mich. im not sure what was attracting them but im sure the fairways and greens are sprayed for the grubs.

here at my house near algonac i saw my first about 10 years ago on a maple. today i swatted one out of the air near my 2 eggplants. i promptly stepped on it and threw it in my canal.

dont tell PETA but bass like them

bcday · July 26, 2008

Grrrrr -- this morning I found more JB's on the potatoes than I did on either the grapes or roses. I hope they don't develop a taste for tomatoes.

July 10, 2008	#1
levad Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: michigan 6a/5b Posts: 88	japanese beetle alert s.e. michigan ...more than a few beetles on the golf course today

July 11, 2008	#2
matereater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: S.E. Michigan (Livonia) Posts: 1,264	Saw a pair 'doin it' on my rasberries yesterday, chopped em in half with the clippers I had with me. That's the first time I've ever seen them in my garden and I've been here almost 20 years. __________________ Steve Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

July 11, 2008	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	I think most folks knmow that the JB problem started here in the East and has been wending its way west. At the height of the initial invasion I could see them on my roses, and marigolds they love, and all sorts of other flowers and also on blackberries, but never did I see one JB on my tomatoes or any other veggie that I was growing. And that was the same as the commercial farmers that I knew in the area; no JB's on the tomatoes. If you're seeing them on your tomatoes does that mean that they've changed with time as to what they like to chew on? __________________ Carolyn

July 11, 2008	#6
Tomaddict Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: SW Michigan Posts: 73	In my experience, Japanese beetles are a real problem for a couple of years when they first invade an area, then after that the population fades to where they become a minor nuisance. They do really hammer rose of Sharon, roses, raspberries, and sassafras (which grows wild here in SW Michigan), but don't do too much damage to most garden crops. Certain green bean varieties can get hit pretty hard when the populations are high, but I found other bean varieties (notably Fowler's) that they seem to ignore. Never have had more than an occasional wayward JB on the tomatoes. Your best bet is to have a neighbor put up one of those pheromone traps and attract many of the JBs in the neighborhood over to his place. If you use one of these traps when the beetle problem is bad, (1) keep it well away from your garden, and (2) be prepared to frequently empty the bad of the disgusting mass of beetles it will collect. Take heart, in a couple of years they won't be such a problem! __________________ Whatever you are, be a good one. -Abraham Lincoln

July 11, 2008	#8
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	I hadn't seen a JB in years and then they showed up on my beans last year. This year they're back on the beans (both snap and butter beans) and eating quite a bit of the foliage on my okra, but leaving the pods alone. Aren't the JB larva supposed to attract moles or voles to your yard, too? My lawn is a mess thanks to those critters and now they're back by my garden. __________________ Michele

July 11, 2008	#4
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Every year I occasionally find one here or there on a tomato plant and this year I've also seen one on a potato plant, but they didn't seem to be eating the plants. Maybe they are just resting, or maybe just taking an experimental nibble? I don't feel like waiting around to see whether they're going to eat the leaf or fly away so I just tip them off the leaf and into a little tin can half full of soapy water. I am seeing plenty of them on the roses, usually nestled into the center of the blossoms where I have to inspect each individual blossom to find them. They seem to be very fond of grape leaves too. Yesterday I was knocking JB's off the grapevines into soapy water when I turned a grape leaf over and was shocked to find an enormous tan beetle half the size of my thumb busily chowing down. What on earth -- I never saw a beetle the size of this critter in real life in my own back yard. It sure wasn't a JB! I put the leaf with the beetle into a large clean jar until I could find out what it was. It turned out to be a Grapevine Beetle. I hope there aren't very many of them around, because it chewed that leaf to practically nothing in no time flat.

July 11, 2008	#5
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	I don't want you guys to miss out on all the fun so I'll send some of the little buggers your way! And I'm being nice by calling them buggers. They hit my Eggplant and Beans good this year. Saw them on my toms but didn't see damage. Greg

July 11, 2008	#9
kdoble Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Wayne, PA zone 6b Posts: 57	I too fight the good fight with the JB's and this year I'm finally beating them to the punch. They attract eachother to the garden so you must catch them as soon as you see them starting to appear. Last year we went on vacation for a week and by the time we got back, I had NOTHING left on any of my rose bushes, crepe myrtle, harry lauder and weeping cherry but leaf skeletons. Ugh, I was never so disgusted with an insect! The good news is they didn't touch my tomatoes or jalapenos! I tried the phermone traps and then my neighbors thanked me for keeping the JB population down in their yards, so I'm done with those. I have found the best thing to do is go around with a cup full of soapy water and tap them in ~ they die instantly. To the best of my knowledge JB's have no natural predators.

July 11, 2008	#11
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	We had Japanese Beetles in southwest Michigan as long ago as 1997. The first year they arrived in force they kill several ornamental tree/shrubs around the house. They really love raspberries and especially grapes. We have them in Missouri as well. They are bad this year. They don't touch the tomatoes, peppers, cukes, etc, but occasionally I'll see one on the corn. They also like okra. Their favorite in the garden is beans, especially pole beans. They love Blue Lake, Kentucky Blue, Fortex, and Neckargold. They pretty much leave Dragon Tongue, Tendergreen, Uncle Steve's Italian, and Brown Speckled Greasy beans alone. And of course they are going after the wild grape on the property. I'm wondering what the vineyards on the other side of the river do to control them. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be.

July 12, 2008	#12
levad Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: michigan 6a/5b Posts: 88	the golf course was near romeo, mich. im not sure what was attracting them but im sure the fairways and greens are sprayed for the grubs. here at my house near algonac i saw my first about 10 years ago on a maple. today i swatted one out of the air near my 2 eggplants. i promptly stepped on it and threw it in my canal. dont tell PETA but bass like them

July 26, 2008	#13
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Grrrrr -- this morning I found more JB's on the potatoes than I did on either the grapes or roses. I hope they don't develop a taste for tomatoes.