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Re: Strange ... good?

I hear a lot of bad language tossed around about Japanese beetles  here. When I moved to Des Moines 15 years ago, no one had ever seen the pest! But now they are definitely a problem. Their diet has changed since I dealt with them on Long Island. Apparently in addition to roses,  they love cannas - foliage and flowers.  Maybe that's just a Midwest thing?

JBs don't seem to be in my neighborhood. Maybe they don't like the ground surrounding 100 year-old homes? But they are a problem ânorth of the freeway. âOne of the editors here is overrun with them. He's used imocliprid (sp??) on the leaves, but reports that this year it's not killing the JBs. They just get a bit slower. So he's trying a systemic from Bayer with the same chemical as its base. I guess I live on the good side of town. Having moved, I donât have a garden established yet, but share with neighbors.



Has no one heard of using milky spore (Bacillus popillae, now known as Paenibacillus popillae) as a control? It'll infect the grubs below the soil of your garden and lawn. Of course, if you use chemicals, you'll kill the milky spore. I used it on the Long Island property where I was caretaker for 18 years â and it worked! Before it kicked in, Iâd go out to the garden early in the morning and shake the beetles out of the rose blossoms (they are not early risers) into a zip-lock bag. When I was done I either stomped on the bag, or set it in the sun (and normally Iâm against cruelty to animals).



Enough said from my soapbox.



Cheers,

Cathy



Cathy Wilkinson Barash

Senior Editor, Garden Gate

August Home Publishing

2200 Grand Ave.

Des Moines, Iowa 50312

515-875-7035

ïïPlease consider the environment before printing this e-mail



-----Original Message-----
From: Carolyn Ulrich [c*@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 8:15 PM
To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
Subject: Re: [GWL] Strange ... good?



Here on the south side of Chicago I have had Japanese beetles but

there are never so many that I can't squish them, provided 1) I'm not

squeamish and

2) I patrol every day, maybe twice a day. This year they like both of

the Home Run roses and my evening primrose (Oenothera biennis, the

plant that opens its flowers in front of your very eyes around 8:45 on

the first day of summer and progressively earlier as the season goes

on. Sometimes there are as many as 5 or 6 on one flower so some may

escape, but I figure they'll be back and I'll get them later. By the

way, I have never understood the "drop them into soapy water"

recommendation. My beetles fly and this would never work for me.



Carolyn Ulrich




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