Its Japanese Beetle Time!!

About 2 years ago my oldest Son, Joshua, got up early and entered into my wife's and my domain and interrupted our peaceful slumber. I don't even think I was snoring....

"Dad, Dad... Dad, you awake"

6AM, I was horrified! 

What creature with foul breath waketh me up from my slumber I wondered?

"Dad, Dad, let me tell you something, today the Japanese Beetles are coming!" Joshua said with excitement in his voice. He would get to kill some that day.  "Horah, now go back to bed, Joshua... pleeeeeeaase"

Sure enough, they had come. Joshua has predicted "Japanese Beetle Day" ever since, and has done it well, but he is doing it better, he waits till I wake on my own now.  So this past Monday, Joshua gave me the warning that they where coming, sure enough by the end of the day they where here... 

So, what do you do?

Here are some tips to help your battle against these pesky little pests. 

• Plant, other plants that repel them: Catnip, Rue (be careful with these, read closely), Larkspur (never heard of that one, but its pretty), cloves (you won't be able to grow that in Alabama), garlic, tansy, or geranium.
• Netting
• For you who have chickens, Japanese beetles are at least a free food high in protein. 
• Pick them off and drown them. That could be a perfect past time for the boys, similar to the fun of killing fire ants with a magnifying glass.
• Insecticidal soaps.. on the cheap, make your own. 2 tablespoons liquid soap to 1 quart of water.
• All purpose pesticide soap.. on the cheap, homemade. Use strong smelling roots and spices like garlic, onions, horseradish, ginger, rhubarb leaves, cayenne or other hot peppers. Put ingredients into a mason jar, boil water and poor over just enough to cover. Screw on the cover or lid and let it stand overnight. Strain and add the insecticidal soap spray. Freeze unused portion.
• Commercial traps, however I don't really recommend them very highly as the trap actually attracts more to the area than there are naturally.  IF you do use a trap, make sure it is not very close to your own garden. Put it close to your next door neighbors yard or even better, closer to their garden... mwhahahahahahaha. ::evil grin::
• Cheap trap: Take a plastic bottle, cut the top off, fill it with water, sugar, rotten fruit, and yeast mixture, hang it near your neighbors yard ::snicker:: I really mean on the edges of your own yard. It works just as good as a commercial trap.
• Leave some dead Japanese beetles around, they really stink bad, not just to you, but also to other Japanese beetles.
• Call a professional and ask for biological control like fungi, parasites, or nematodes or purchase and apply yourself. I recommend these for Japanese Beetle grubs, but they work on other things such as ants, termites, cut worms, fleas, ticks, other grubs and more. Warning, they are not cheap, but once they are established they should be good to go for years.
  

1. Milky Spore - Bacillus popillae
2. Nematodes - Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
3. Nematodes - Steinernema feltiae

Why 2 different nematodes? Well, used together they have a wider range of pests they kill. They work differently, and overlap each others way of transmission. For Japanese beetle grubs, use the bacteria (Milky Spore) with the Nematode - H. bacteriophora.  Note: this is a preventative, killing off the grub not the beetle.

• I personally spray with Neem Oil spray. It will kill on contact, however it works on sucking or chewing insects by "stopping" them from eating. One of its properties actually makes insects "forget" to eat and the starve to death.

For beneficial insects and organisms check out this website.