Re: Japanese beetles
- Subject: Re: Japanese beetles
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Thu, 9 Jan 2003 12:29:14 EST
In a message dated 1/9/03 8:44:05 AM Eastern Standard Time, glink@att.net
writes:
> They mostly leave my stuff alone - we have a wild grape vine growing in the
> dogwood tree and they LOVE it - they eat it down to skeletons every summer.
> It
> never seems to hurt it though, it comes back strong as ever the next year.
> You
> could attract them to the grape vine and then spray the vine I guess. Much
>
> better than those bag traps.
I would mostly agree with this. A wild grape vine is immediately attacked
and will support a vast population of JB's. We have one growing along the
electric fence line and have been leaving it alone thinking it a trap plant.
It may be some help in that part of the garden but does not significantly
reduce the beetles in other parts. They are present in about the same
numbers regardless of spraying, picking off, weather, birds (birds don't seem
to like them) and deep frost on some winters (thought to kill off the grubs)
You don't have JB's if you don't grow plants they eat. They will attack and
damage a wide variety of plants however with tests showing the numbers reduce
when favored food plants are not available. Not gone, just fewer. We had
been picking them off for years stopping in the last two years because of the
time consumed to do this.
Other ways to protect, say the hollyhock, that are low tech can be used if
you can accept some damage. Plant the hollyhocks next to an immune shrub so
the picture is not entirely bleak, then plant some vines up the hollyhocks.
You can kill off a bunch when you fell like it but not become too obsessed.
Some years back this area had a gypsy moth plague. Entire stands of oak
trees were defoliated. Suburban trees were so infested you could hear the
munching, it was audible standing under a tree. Droppings were everywhere,
disgusting are gypsy moths. The state of New York became interested as
woodlands were endangered.
They are still around but no long a such a menace. Some disease decimated
their numbers and the disease prevents new buildups of the pest. This was
not introduced, it was a natural phenomenon. I cannot remember all the
detail but when praying for world improvement add a wasting disease for JB's.
All gardeners will be happy for that.
If you live in the West and do not have these pests, it is hard to imagine
hordes of shiny coppery colored beetles descending on your garden with new
troops arriving daily.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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