Japanese Beetles cause damage to plants, gardens and lawns. One beetle alone doesn't do much damage, but they usually congregate in large numbers and can do massive damage from feeding on the leaves of plants and trees. It is a good thing that they only stay around for a little over a month.
They send out phermones to tell other beetles where to congregate. They eat and mate. After mating the females will feed on plants for a few days and then go under the soil to lay their eggs. The larvae which are called "beetle grubs," feed on roots and grow. The grubs overwinter deep under the soil and in the spring when the soil warms, the grubs crawl back up towards the surface, pupate and then emerge as adults.
Adults are green with metallic, copper colored wing covers that shine in the sunlight. They have five small white tufts on each side along with tufts at the end of their abdomen. They measure approximately 1/2 long.
They love to feed on roses, elms and maples. They also like weeds which is where I wish they would stay.
Thanks for stopping by!
Information Source: thespruce.com
Image Source: All photos are my own.
Yup, I'm well familiar with these little b*stards, as they have prevented me from having a crop of grapes, much less our other fruits, since we planted them in 2012. Grrrrrrr.
Being an organic grower has limited my options, though Marek is willing to douse them with any poison available, but I've so far kept him from doing so.
I learned late this season that neem oil extract works great as an insecticide, both killing them dead if you spray them directly, and systemically if you start watering the plants with it about three months before the beetles appear.
It also works as a miticide and a fungicide, bonus, since our grapes have also been hit with a fungus that's common around here.
Even better, drenching the soil with neem oil extract around the plants will prevent the grubs from hatching next season, preventing the next generation, which works for me.
Four O'Clocks, the garden flower, also kill them . . . apparently they can't resist the flowers, and they climb in and drown. Go Mother Nature!!! And I checked - they're not harmful to bees and other pollinators. Score!!!
Finally, I read an article by a guy who got one of the Japanese beetle traps, which you bait with pheromones, and rather than just using the bag that came with it, he set it up with a 55-gallon drum, drowns the lot every few days, then uses them to feed his chickens. Double score!!!
All this was too late for this season, though thanks to spraying and foliar feeding with neem oil extract, we did at least get a few table grapes this season - a first!
Next year, watch out - I'm prepared.
And you're right, @mariannewest, these are not the Japanese beetles we had in California - they are a completely different species. I never saw these until we moved to Tennessee.
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Wow! Thanks so much for all of this valuable information. I had no idea about the Four O'Clocks and found that very interesting. Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. Best wishes for you and your grapes next year and thanks for stopping by. : )
One caveat about spraying the soil with neem oil extract, it will kill ALL grubs, including fireflies.
That is why I am drenching the soil ONLY around the affected trees and plants, as I want our fireflies to continue thriving.
They also caution about spraying only in early morning and late afternoon, so as to avoid accidentally spraying any foraging honeybees.
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Wouldn't it be great if you could set up a Beetle Cafe in one section of your yard with tasty roses and leaves for them to snack on, and they'd STAY there?
HaHa! A Beetle Cafe? You are a trip brisby! I am all for that but like you said, they would have to stay there. LOL!
YES!! Ditto that, and @whatisnew's reply!
Very good photography. :-)
Thanks so much for the nice compliment Mike. Sometimes I get lucky with the camera. : )
We have a beetle here we call Japanese beetle but I think it is a different kind. they love to eat my grapes - but I trick them. I take the grape cluster they invaded - cut it off and feed them to the chickens.
That will teach them!!!
HaHa! You showed them!!! That is so funny! LOL!
There is an Asian wasp that feeds on the larva of these evil garden-destroying beetles, but if we import the wasp to eat the beetle, it's like the Old Woman Who Swallowed the Spider to Catch the Fly....
Yup, just like the Asian Lady Beetles which has taken over our red Lady bugs!
These Japanese Beetles are beautiful......(apart from causing damage to plants, gardens and lawns) The information you provided are very interesting. Nice photos of them in close-up. Well done! ;)
Many thanks sis! Your kind words and encouragement keep me going. : )
You are much welcome! I'm happy to hear that! ;)