Japanese Beetles and the Avian Air Force Brigade

Views: 6466

It’s that time of year, again…the Japanese Beetles and their relatives are in residence for their annual summer invasion. The Japanese beetles are the prettiest of the scarab beetles, but we tend to ignore that fact because of all the damage they do with their incessent chewing. These beetles and the Asian beetles and the black scarab beetles feed all day long, and after dark, the damage continues with the brown Rose Chafers. I am not against using insecticides in my garden when needed, but I’ve found that soapy water works better than pesticides in the control of beetles, so I keep a covered mason jar handy, half filled with water and a splash of dish detergent. (Notice that this is an optimistic treatment…a jar half full!)

When you touch or disturb them, they fall straight down. This is their defensive move. Put the jar under them, and voila! When you touch them, they fall into the soapy water in the jar. The soap makes the water more slippery, so they slide underwater and drown almost immediately. These beetles are a disgusting addition to the garden and I’m always watching for ways to control them.

Pest Control

Two years ago, I used Milky Spore Disease in my gardens which sickens and kills the larval stage of the beetles: the grubs. It’s very expensive and I couldn’t afford to use it all over our property, so I concentrated on the rose gardens and sunny areas around the gardens in my application. I applied it with a teaspoon and dropped the stuff by spoonfulls in approximately a four-foot grid pattern. When I finished, I watered it in.

Milky Spore is a bacterium (paenibacillus popilliae) that only affects white grubs. I checked with my friend, Baldo Villegas, who is an entomologist, to find out when was the best time to apply this. He told me to lay it down in the end of July, when the first little grubs were emerging from their eggs. They are very hungry at this point and in their feeding will ingest a spore along with the rest of their diet. The spore multiplies inside the grub and makes the grub swell and explode, spreading more milky spore around. This is how this bacillus continues to move, eventually covering large areas underground. I am already seeing fewer beetles two years post treatment, but Milky Spore is only one weapon in my beetle arsenal!

Natural Remedies

My other defense is songbirds! We used to feed the birds all year as we love to see them close to the house. Then, a bear visited my neighbor’s feeders and we stopped feeding in the summertime. I really missed the Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, so we found a spot to put a feeder in a concealed (sort of) spot outside the kitchen and pantry windows. We enjoy our grosbeaks,cardinals, blue jays, gold finches, and house finches. Also,English Sparrows and Tufted Titmice.

They all love the black oil sunflower seed we provide, and over the past two summers, I have discovered that the English Sparrows and Tufted Titmice have discovered something else they love that is provided for them…adult beetles!!! As soon as the beetles began to emerge, mid-June this season, I watched with delight as they swooped down and gobbled them right up! And then they fed them to their young! I love it when I hear a chorus of hungry baby titmice up in the tree and their parents sit on rose canes plucking beetles out of a bloom to bring their chicks for lunch!

Friend’s advice

My friend, Clarence Rhodes from Portland, Maine, talked about the sparrows a number of years ago. He fashioned perches on stakes and placed them around his gardens so the birds could have a comfy spot to land while they cleaned the beetles out of his roses. Maybe some of our sparrows took a trip to Vacationland and learned this behavior! Wherever these birds learned how to lunch on beetles, all I have to say is that I am very thankful! I’m glad they enjoy Japanese beetle hunting and adding all that protein to their diet. We’ll keep the summertime feeder full, and maybe some of the other feathered visitors will join our Avian Beetle Brigade in defense of this rosarian and her beautiful blossoms!

Meet Marci Martin

Marci Martin has loved roses for as long as she can remember. From the time she was a little girl, she was fascinated with how…

Marci's Recent Posts

March: An Early Start in the Rose Garden This Year
Read this post
Beautiful Floribunda Roses
Read this post

Marci's Videos

The Woodland Gardens: A Brief History and Overview
The Woodland Gardens: A Brief History and Overview
By Marci Martin
Watch this video
Fall Rose Pruning Techniques and Advice
Fall Rose Pruning Techniques and Advice
By Marci Martin
Watch this video

Membership Has Its Perks

Become a registered user and get access to exclusive benefits like...
  • Ask The Expert Questions
  • Newsletter Archive
  • PlantersPlace Magazine
  • Members Photo Gallery
  • Product Ratings & Reviews
  • Garden Club Samples

More information about flower gardening that you’re going to want