BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Gardening japenese beetles

[color:"purple"]i'm looking for what i can do to get rid of these things (permanantly, if it's possible <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )!

i just found a couple on my rose bush. the bush is 4 years old and pretty healthy considering it's got black spot. i'm spraying it regularly (the spray also got rid of the aphids) and it's doing well (thought i was going to lose it last year as the product i'd bought for the black spot was not as effective as what i'm using now).

i'd be a bit concerned about the beetles to begin with. i'm even more concerned now because i just (and i do mean just...within the past 3-4 days) transplanted 6 rosebushes, some peony's, a hydrangea, lots of black-eyed susan's and a groundcover i don't know the name of from a neighbors yard (they rented from a relative and didn't maintain the garden and now the house has been sold...she said i was more than welcome to take whatever i wanted as the new owner was going to tear everything out). i've also got purple coneflower and iris that are well established.

from what i understand, the jp's like most of these plants!

altho the majority of the roses are very old & have well-established roots (and i did make sure to get as much of the main roots as i could) most of them weren't doing well as the bed was almost completely overgrown with weeds and now they are in shock from being moved. they do not need to be eaten by the jp's.

anyone have any good ideas on what i can do to get rid of them???

thx!! [/color]

First, you will need to get rid of the Japanese Beetle grubs. Milky Spore is very effective for this. Less beetles will hatch out each year as the Milky Spore spreads throughout your yard. (Also, if you have moles, they will leave, since they were hanging around to eat the grubs.)
The adult beetles will still fly in from other gardens. I handpick them off and drown them because I try to use organic methods when possible. There are all kinds of beetle traps, but some people say they actually attract more beetles.

[color:"purple"]thx! yes, i've been hearing about the milky spore...it's been noted that if everyone in the immediate area doesn't apply it, it's really useless as you will still have the buggers coming into your yard from the neighbors'.

this is the first year i've seen them - and i've had the one rosebush for 5 years. my neighbor (a couple houses down the street) says she sees them every year (she's got about 10 rose bushes). she says they are really bad this year. she's talking about getting traps - says they work, you just need to place them somewhere on the property that is away from the roses. (and, yes, i've heard they actually attract more than they get rid of).

i don't think anyone else on the block has roses. maybe if the two of us use the milky spore we'll resolve the problem for next year. in the mean time, yes, squishing them works for the short term.[/color]