Japanese Beetles

Below is an article written by the Society's Larry Meyer and published in our June Voice of the Rose Newsletter:

"Products and methods that can be used to trap, kill or deter Japanese Beetles.

1. Beetle Traps- Traps should be placed away from the area you want protected. Otherwise you will draw them into the area you do not want them. Follow the directions on the package.

2. You can prune off all of the buds and blooms so the Beetles will go someplace else. They may still attack the leaves but probably not as bad as when there are blooms for them to hide in and eat and have their breeding parties.

3. You can spray the blooms to kill them. Most sprays labeled for Japanese Beetles will have an almost instant kill and some lasting residual that they will have to eat before it kills them. There is a possibility that the residue left may enter through the body parts as they crawl around doing what they do best and kill them this way. I have found that when they are feeding heavy, spray the tops of the plants (blooms and buds). This will kill everything that is there. Then in a day or so dead head the damaged blooms and buds. When you see the Beetles arriving again repeat the above. This may be 3 days to 1 week.

4. The chemicals of choice are: Merit (Imidacloprid) or Permethrin (Hy-Yield 38 Plus) or any of the insecticides with the ingredient ending with -thrin. Permethrin, Cyhalothrin, or Bifenthrin.

5. These chemicals are available at Home Depot & Lowes- Total Kill (Ortho) Permethrin 2.5% $8.97. Triazicide (Spectricide) Cyhalothrin 0.25%, $9.82. Ready mix. (Ortho) –Bug B Gone MAX- Bifenthrin 0.03% $10.98. Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer-Imidacloprid 0.72% and B-cyfluthrin 0.36%. Ready mix- $12.97- (NOTE) there are both ingredients in this one. So I guess both Merit and Permethrin can be mixed together for a double whammy.

6. Hy-Yield 38 Plus Permethrin 8oz $13.95 16 oz. $23.50 and Hy-Yield Bug Blaster Bifenthrin 7.9%, $34.45 qt. $23.00 pt. $17.65 8oz. can be purchased at EL-Mel Inc. 6185N US Hwy 67 Florissant, Mo. across from Jamestown Mall; also at 2139 First Capital Drive St Charles Mo.

7. Knock the beetles into a cup of soapy water and flush them.

8. Squish the beetles between your fingers.

Note: Some of these chemicals are highly toxic to bees. Bees are an endangered, vital part of our ecology. Please be careful how, when and where you spray. "