Mermy and other gardeners!

[NoHall]

The bags can work well. As has been mentioned, they can attract beetles from neighbors' yards like a keg party attracts teenagers, but then again, so will your tasty roses.

My advice, if you use the bags, is to put them on the outer edges of the property and change the bags frequently. As for the smell of dead beetles, get some cheap 1-2 gallon ziploc bags. When you have a full bag o' sexually frustrated beetles, drop the whole mess into the ziploc bag and seal it up. It suffocates the bugs and seals in the smell.

Other options: Insecticide. Just google "japanese beetles" and insecticide, and you'll get a range of options. I personally like Bayer products; their products are generally the safest. (For vertebrates, that is. The stuff they sell is fatal to bugs.)

If you're the tree-hugger type (which is fine by me) you may look into using milky spores. Won't do you any good this year, but is good for long-term control.

Of course, if you don't like any of those options, I have a client who sits out among his rosebushes and catches them with his pruners...

 

[NoHall]

My butterfly bush did not come back this year. Well it started to and then all the sudden the leaves curled up and died like some chemical got on them or something. You all know how I loved my butterflies. I will replace it but now is probably not a good time.

Butterfly bushes are bad to just up and die like that.

 

[Ocean Lover]

Mine died also as well as my SIL's in Ohio & friend in New Hampshire. I asked someone at the garden center about it and she said it was because of the 80 degree weather we had in April followed by the few days of snow. I miss it!

Butterfly bushes are bad to just up and die like that.

Hmmm, wow, so I didn't kill it? That's good to hear. I thought it was because I didn't trim it back at the right time. I'll miss all the different kinds of butterflies it attracted.

 

[Ocean Lover]

The bags can work well. As has been mentioned, they can attract beetles from neighbors' yards like a keg party attracts teenagers, but then again, so will your tasty roses.

My advice, if you use the bags, is to put them on the outer edges of the property and change the bags frequently. As for the smell of dead beetles, get some cheap 1-2 gallon ziploc bags. When you have a full bag o' sexually frustrated beetles, drop the whole mess into the ziploc bag and seal it up. It suffocates the bugs and seals in the smell.

Other options: Insecticide. Just google "japanese beetles" and insecticide, and you'll get a range of options. I personally like Bayer products; their products are generally the safest. (For vertebrates, that is. The stuff they sell is fatal to bugs.)

If you're the tree-hugger type (which is fine by me) you may look into using milky spores. Won't do you any good this year, but is good for long-term control.

Of course, if you don't like any of those options, I have a client who sits out among his rosebushes and catches them with his pruners...

I think this seals the deal. Insecticide is the way I'm going. Just thinking about a whole bag of live bugs gives me the heebie jeebies. I could give this job to Mr OL but even the thought of them being out there is enough to make me cringe.

Thank you for all the great suggestions!!! NoHall, what do you do for a living?

 

[NoHall]

I think this seals the deal. Insecticide is the way I'm going. Just thinking about a whole bag of live bugs gives me the heebie jeebies. I could give this job to Mr OL but even the thought of them being out there is enough to make me cringe.

Thank you for all the great suggestions!!! NoHall, what do you do for a living?

I'm a gardener.

(But I have a B.S. in Philosophy, and am currently working on my master's in music ed...I'm kind of a weirdo.)

 

[Rita]

Tell all your neighbors how great you've heard the traps are so they'll place the traps in their yards! BINGO! Your beetles go to the neighbors yards!

.

 

[shakennotstirred]

Hmmm, wow, so I didn't kill it? That's good to hear. I thought it was because I didn't trim it back at the right time. I'll miss all the different kinds of butterflies it attracted.

I'll also miss your butterfly photos!

 

[Ocean Lover]

I'm a gardener.

(But I have a B.S. in Philosophy, and am currently working on my master's in music ed...I'm kind of a weirdo.)

Tell all your neighbors how great you've heard the traps are so they'll place the traps in their yards! BINGO! Your beetles go to the neighbors yards!

.

Grayt idea!!!!! :funn:

I'll also miss your butterfly photos!

Hopefully someone else will share this year!

 

[peapod1980]

Other options: Insecticide. Just google "japanese beetles" and insecticide, and you'll get a range of options. I personally like Bayer products; their products are generally the safest. (For vertebrates, that is. The stuff they sell is fatal to bugs.)

If you're the tree-hugger type (which is fine by me) you may look into using milky spores. Won't do you any good this year, but is good for long-term control.

You so funny, NoHall.
I have a friend who only got rid of the beetles using insecticide, and now you're recommending it, so that's good enough for me.
Milky spores...come on, my kids are on this board!

 

[NoHall]

Milky spores...come on, my kids are on this board!

hee, hee...