On the Bug vs. People nuisance chart, things are looking pretty good here. Black flies departed on Father’s Day as usual, mosquitoes arrived shortly thereafter, and annoying mayflies followed mosquitoes. Whew!
All those flying biting insect numbers are dwindling and being replaced by garden pests, but not many yet….except for a few of the most gargantuan slugs I’ve EVER seen! They look more like small snakes after our wet spring!
It’s the scarab beetles that I am keeping an eye on in the garden. I’ve only seen only one Japanese beetle that are emerging from the soil right about now, but I’ve seen a dozen or more of their cousins in the garden, the oriental beetles (Exomala orientalis) feeding mainly on the daisies and lady’s mantle. They are not voracious feeders but they do enough damage elsewhere.
It’s the lawn that takes a hit from these beetles. Just like the Japanese beetle, the larval stage feeds on the root zone of the turf grasses. I’ve yet to know whether I have a real problem, but since I am committed to Integrated pest management (IPM) instead of chemical management in combating pests, I’ve looked for alternatives that don’t affect good insects…. butterflies, bees, etc.
Treatment is tricky because it varies depending on the species of grub. According to the Conn.gov website, bacterial spores can kill this variety of grub but our NE soil can be too cold to sustain the bacteria. Nematodes, microscopic worms that live in the soil, can infect and kill grubs but it’s tricky to keep them alive and tricky to apply the worms under the right conditions. Milky Spore targets only the Japanese beetle species of grub, according to UConn… in the state where the first siting of the beetle occurred in 1920.
The best option for treatment just may be sex pheromone traps that capture only the Oriental beetle male, unlike the Japanese beetle traps that unfortunately attract both male and female Japanese beetles. I found one lone online company selling the pheromone cards I would need…. traps sold separately. I may not have a real problem but at least I have a place to order if it actually comes down to man vs. beetle.
The problem bugs a lot of us! 🙂
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Ha! It sure bugs me!
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😀
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
THERE ARE JAPANESE BEETLE TRAPS…WOULD THEY WORK FOR OTHER SPECIES? OH YEAH—THAT’S CHEMICALS—COULD PICK THEM OFF BY HAND…INTO USED OIL….?
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No, the Japanese beetle traps won’t lure these beetles. Oh yes, the old fashioned soapy water would work, too. Thanks for the reblog!
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Yup—a shared problem!
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I’ve got Japanese Beetles visiting my blackberry bushes and doing some major damage to the leaves. I walk about with a cup of water in my hand flicking them in. They swim quite well, but once I dump them in the chicken run, it’s all over. 🙂
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Oh, I love this solution…..the ultimate in recycling and a perfect ending for the insects! Then the chickens reward you with fertilizer and eggs.
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I often wonder what it would be like not to have all the destructive bugs in the yard and garden. It seems we acquire most pests to eat our crops every year. We also try natural remedies to dispose of unwanted insect visitors. Good luck.
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I admire the effort to not go with chemicals that kill every living thing. I see people spraying that stuff, and it makes me sad.
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Our neighborhood is sprayed, all except this home. They know better than to cross me.
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Ha ha – good girl.
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We are fortunate to be outside of their range. We get a few insect problems here, but not as bad as in other regions. We get some of the biggest slugs in the World, but they do not eat viable plant parts.
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