If you want to know what kills Japanese beetles, here are seven techniques to try. Once the larva have transformed into adults, you will need to take another approach to get rid of Japanese beetles. It’s believed that the larva of Japanese beetles is the only organism susceptible to the milky spore. The only way this works is if the grubs are feeding, so be sure to add milky spores in the autumn. Once it’s ingested by the grubs, their body fluids turn milky in color and they die, which in turn releases more of the spores into the soil. Introduce milky spore: Paenibacillus papillae, also known as milky spore, can be added to the soil and lawn where the larva will unintentionally consume it. Continue to spray once a week until grubs no longer surface. When you spray this mixture on your lawn, grubs come up to the surface, which leaves them vulnerable to birds and other predators. That mixture should cover 1,000 square feet. Dilute 2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap with 1 gallon of water. Use a homemade spray to bait the grubs: In late spring and fall, when the beetles are still in grub stage, take advantage of their vulnerabilities. Try companion planting to deter Japanese beetles by mixing their favorites with plants they find distasteful, such as garlic, rue or tansy. You don’t want to build a buffet that encourages them feed and multiply. If you want to plant some Japanese beetle favorites, disperse them: You can keep some of the Japanese beetle’s preferred plants in your garden, just make sure to not group them all together. If they can choose, Japanese beetles have favorite plants to eat. Grow plants Japanese beetles aren’t drawn to: Although these pests aren’t picky eaters, they do have preferences. It’s important to know how to control Japanese beetles early on, and there are several methods to prevent grubs: Some plants are more attractive to the bugs including many fruit trees, such as apple, apricot, cherry, peach and plum, as well as birch trees, asparagus, irises, Norway maples and roses. Once they transition to adults, the beetles emerge from the ground and begin to ravage plant foliage. It’s just a matter of where they choose to dine depends on their life stage.Īs underground larva and pupae, they eat the roots of plants. The Japanese beetle eats plants throughout its life cycle. After they’re done, it looks like the skeleton of a leaf. These bugs “skeletonize” foliage, meaning they remove all the plant matter on a leaf except the vein-like support structure. You can spot Japanese beetle damage easily. More importantly, there seems to be no end to the types of plants they enjoy eating! Nowhere seems to be off limits for these bugs. They inhabit forests and fields, as well as gardens and city parks. In fact, the Japanese beetle invasion has been very challenging to control because they can easily adapt to a variety of environments. The first of these foreign pests were spotted in 1916 in a plant nursery in New Jersey, and they have been a problem ever since. After just two weeks, the pupae transform into adult beetles, and they finally emerge from the soil. It’s at this point when they reach the pupae phase. In early spring, the grubs wake from their slumber and begin feeding again. Protected by a thick 4- to 8-inch layer of soil, they remain dormant for the whole winter. The slug-like grub reaches about 1 inch in length, and by late autumn, it burrows deeper down into the ground before winter strikes. That’s the start of your problems with Japanese beetle, because at this stage, the grubs put your lawn at risk. By midsummer these eggs begin to hatch.Īfter hatching, the Japanese beetle grub begins feeding on roots and grasses. Each female produces about 40 to 60 eggs, which are laid approximately 3 inches into the soil. The life cycle of the invasive species spreads out over one year. Life Cycle of Japanese Beetles Life cycle of the Japanese Beetle. Hidden in that shipment, they were safely and secretively tucked away in the soil included in the shipment. The bug, probably in larval form, came along too. That all changed when plants and flowers were imported to the U.S. Geographic isolation and certain predators native to the island nation kept the beetle from spreading to the mainland. Until early in the 20th century, these bugs were only found in Japan. It looks exotic and rightly so, as it didn’t originate in North America. These insects have six legs, two antennae and wings. It has copper-colored back, metallic blue-green head and small white hairs that line the sides of its abdomen. It’s easy to identify the beetle by its distinctive appearance. Subscribe to the Epic Gardening Podcast on iTunes What do Japanese Beetles Look Like? Listen to this post on the Epic Gardening Podcast
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