Getting rid of Japanese Beetles, Naturally
Okay, this is more of a request than a post.
Does anyone know of natural ways to get rid of Japanese beetles?
This request is for a friend of mine whose plants are being eaten by the annoying insects. My plants, for some reason have not been affected. Maybe it’s because they don’t like the pepper I sprinkled on the flowers earlier in the year to deter the squirrels. Who knows?
I found one article that offers an environmentally friendly way to get rid of them. It had something to do with killing a few of them early in the season and placing them in a bucket of soapy water.
You’re supposed to leave the bucket in a prominent area so that when the other Japanese beetles catch a whiff of the scent of their dead brethren they’ll fly away thinking that the area is unsafe (no, I didn’t write the article, I’m only paraphrasing what it said). You can read the article here.
Has anyone tried it?
Here is a good Web site for info about Japanese Beetles. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef409.asp It’s the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Entomology Dept. Among other things, it says that hand-picking the beetles keeps their numbers down.
Here’s what I do: I squirt a few drops (maybe half a teaspoonful) of liquid hand soap into a plastic margarine bowl and add about 3/4″ of water and slosh it around to mix it. I go out to the garden at least twice a day, once in the mnorning and again in the afternoon and knock the beetles off the leaves and into the soapy water. They die within 30 seconds.
The more beetles on the plants, the more will be attracted. By keeping their numbers down like I do, fewer beetles come to feed off my bean and okra and raspberry plants in the garden. I don’t use chemicals because I don’t want to contaminate the food, and besides, mny grandchildren play in the backyard and I don’t want chemicals on them. This earth-friendly method works for me. I don’t get 100 per cent, but it is satisfying to see the numbers low, and to watch the beetles die. Even if I miss a few (they don’t drop into the water), I am knocking them off the leaves, and disturbing their feast. It will take a while for them to return. (And maybe I’ll get them next time!)
Thanks for the great info George!
About 10 years ago on PBS in Seattle I watched a gardener on Saturday mornings. His favorite tool was the hose-end sprayer. As an insect deterent he would take chewing tobacco, simmer it in water, strain out the tobacco, fill the sprayer with the tobacco water and spray it where he had a bug problem. I haven’t needed to try this so I don’t have first hand results to pass on.
I have a sneaking feeling that it would not only deter the beetles, but the tobacco would also keep a few of the neighbors away too.
Thanks for the tip John!