This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Japanese Beetle tip

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Greetings from Japanese Beetle infested mid west.  For some unknown reason we 
have an abundance of these flying, rose leaf devouring insects.  Infact they 
are devouring everything green in sight.  Today was my day to draw a line in 
my square foot garden and fight back.  I was quickly surrounded and vastly 
outnumbered.  Time for drastic measures.

But with what??? I went to a small garden center and read the back of every 
insecticide they had and not one said anything about the Beetles.  There's 
not a beetle trap in a hundred miles.  So what's a gardener to do??? 

I did a web search on the little critters and ended up on a South Carolina 
tobacco growers web page and they said that Pyrethrum will control them. 
Well, anyone with a dog or cat will know what Pyrethrum is, it's in flea and 
tick shampoo.  Off I go to our local grocery store for some flea and tick 
shampoo.  Now remember, I'm a bit desperate.  I get to the pet section and 
they are all out.  Now what to do???  I went to the shampoo section to see if 
maybe someone miss placed the flea and tick shampoo, but no such luck.  While 
scanning the endless varieties of shampoo, I noticed some head lice shampoo, 
Hhhhmmmm I wonder what makes that work????  You guess it, Pyrethrum.  The 
shampoo was a bit expensive, $8.09 for 4oz.

4 oz in my 2 gallon pump sprayer, attack!!! It worked.  An hour later my rose 
bushes were Japanese Beetle free.  By two hours however, the little buggers 
were back but much smaller numbers.  I don't know if the residue will control 
more beetles, I'll have to wait and see.

Ed in Sw Illinois


______________________________________________________________________
To unsubscribe, write to sqft-unsubscribe@listbot.com
Start Your Own FREE Email List at http://www.listbot.com/
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index