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The BEATLES are invading America! Oops, wrong beetle. Unfortunately the Japanese beetles are invading and you need to protect your plants before they are devoured.
First a little background on the Japanese beetle. This beetle is native to Japan. However, they decided to jump ship and were first seen in New Jersey in 1916 and have since become a major pest in the eastern United States. They feed on hundreds of varieties of plants. Some of the most favored varieties are apple, cherry, peach, birch, rose, pin oak and, of course, Japanese maple. There are some plants that are less desirable such as ash, boxwood, burning bush, dogwood, hemlock, holly, magnolia, northern red oak, redbud and red maple. Many annual and perennial flowers and vegetables are susceptible to attack.
If your garden is filled with a plentiful buffet of beetle food do not fret. Your local Mendham Garden Center has a multitude of different controls out there. Insecticides such as Ortho's Orthene (acephate) and Malathion are good for use on flowers, shrubs and trees. The product Sevin, containing Carbaryl, can be used on fruits and vegetables up to twenty-four hours before harvest. Sevin may also be used for ornamentals. If you read our last newsletter you would know that these chemicals kill by ingestion so the beetles will have a snack but die before the feast. If you tend to shy away from chemicals, or if you're like me and are just too lazy, the non-chemical control is a Japanese Beetle trap. There are disposable and reusable traps. These traps contain lures that draw the beetles in droves. You should hang the traps away from the plants they are attacking. For instance you can put one trap on either side of the house on your property line. Avoid hanging the traps on trees or bushes. You can purchase stands to hang the traps on or you can use plant stakes that you have around the house. When your trap is full simply throw out the disposable bag or empty the reusable container quickly into a garbage bag, tie it tight and throw it away.
Most people don't associate the grubs that eat your lawn's roots with the beetles that eat your plants. Well, they are one and the same. The adult beetle lives for thirty to forty-five days. Just before it dies, it lays its' eggs just under the surface of your lawn. The eggs hatch and the grayish white grubs feast on roots before emerging as beetles in June. So if you control your grubs, you will have fewer beetles. There are many all-purpose lawn insect killers that list grubs as an insect they control. However, the more effective treatments are the products that are specifically for grubs such as Bayer's Advanced Season Long Grub Control with Merit. You can also use their twenty-four hour control with Dylox. Milky Spore, a non-chemical treatment, is safe for the environment and if applied at the recommended rate it will control grubs up to ten years!
With these proven treatments you will be able to fight off the yearly invasion - or at least not faint like a groupie at the sight of a Beatle.
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