Comments on: Getting rid of Japanese Beetles, Naturally

By: Felicia

Felicia — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:30:38 +0000

Thanks for the great tip Gwen! I’ll look into it.

By: Gwen

Gwen — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 02:14:40 +0000

You can get rid of these pest organically. Get a product called “Milky Spore”. You can purchase and read about it online. It is a natural bacteria that feed on the “grubs” while in dormant state in the winter months and keep them from hatching into Japanese Beatles in the spring. One dose on my yard has cured my Japanese Beatle problem. My dad had a bad infestation and one treatment worked great. The only problem was he had a couple “gataba worm” trees he used for his fishing bait and they no longer make. This product is environmentally safe and will kill all grubs. We didn’t remember his gataba worm trees at the time. This is great around your garden. This spore will multiply and spread over your entire yard on one treatment and is good for 20 years! We are happy we used this product.

By: Felicia

Felicia — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 02:25:01 +0000

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!

By: John Sowansky

John Sowansky — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:45:22 +0000

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.

By: Felicia

Felicia — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:48:22 +0000

Thanks for the great info George!

By: George Reynolds

George Reynolds — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:36:01 +0000

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!)