Need Help! Those darn japanese beetles are back!

Despite our snowy winter the beetles are back a week or two early this year. :eww: They drive me crazy!!!!

We milky-spored a few years ago. Is this something that needs to be repeated periodically? I'm suprised at how many of those guys are gorging on my crepe myrtles right now.

I realize right NOW is not the time to milky spore, but I wanted to ask the question since I assumed it was a one time deal and over time things would get better. Well, my crepe myrtles would tell you things are not getting better.

 

The community-wide milky spore program was great although not many people on our street participated. I think it takes a few years to become completely effective and then lasts up to ten years before it loses its "potency". Someone correct me if my numbers are wrong.

Before the program those darn beetles ate through our mrytle and the oak hydrangea. I would take a cup of soapy water and shake one stem at a time and quite literally clumps of eight or nine would just drop off into the cup while some flew away. Bugs usually don't bother me but this was ridiculous.

Then we resorted to bag-a-bug. The bag was full within 3 days and they kept coming. One word of caution. If you decide to go the bag-a-bug route, do not open the lure/bait until you have completely set up the trap; insert the bait quickly...then run! It's very potent stuff! Oh, and place the trap down wind.

 

Ew... no... not interested in bag a bug! Now if my NEIGHBORS would do it, that would be great!!

It just seems they're extra bad this year, 3 years after supposedly treating for them!

 

I use a two punch approach:

Sevin 10 (note it has to be 10 not their 5 or 0 product), which we mix into our irrigation system and I spray once a week with Neem Oil.

The Neem Oil which is made from the Neem tree, works in 2 ways: 1)i t also acts as an insecticidal soap and kills them instantly and 2)it makes the leaves taste bitter and adds a "coating" on the leaves.

 

That's interesting. We put down milky spore a couple of years before the neighborhood-wide application. Most of our neighbors had it done during the big sweep. I have yet to see a Japanese Beetle this year and have seen very very few of them in past years.

 

it's been 18 hours and T8 has not made a joke about "milky spores"... baby t8 must be keeping him BUUUUSSSY!!! lol

 

I've seen a drop off in recent years - and yet to see any this year - touch wood.

The worst thing you can so is the bag trap - it just attracts more to the vicinity, plus the stench of rotting bugs is fierce.

 

I went to Home Depot yesterday to buy the stuff Pea recommended... shock... they didn't have it. I guess I'll try Bluemount Nursery. The beetles drive me nuts during the month of July until they go away. I was really hoping milky spore would do the trick.

 

Do you have any crepe myrtles? If so.. check them and let me know if you still don't have them, please. I'd be very interested in that!!

 

We have a crepe myrtle and no sign yet of the beetles. Hoping it stays that way!

 

We have two crepe myrtles, and no bugs yet, although they are not quite in bloom yet.

 

Of course nobody else has them... they're all on MY crepe myrtles!!!

 

I've had no sign of any - we did the milky spore about 3 years ago. That year, the bag a bug we put down by the pond was filling a bag in about 18 hours. Yeah, creepy! But the ducks loved eating them (recycle, I say!).

Of course, if your neighbors didn't do the MSpore, then you're getting their beetles (how nice of them to share).

And yes, 10 years on the duration sounds right.