Was Astilbe, now Japanese beetles
- Subject: Was Astilbe, now Japanese beetles
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 23:12:17 EDT
In a message dated 7/27/01 5:39:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
ldnewton2@home.com writes:
<< What about SEVIN (just asking)? >>
Sevin is probably fine, malathion is good, any contact bug killer will kill
them. Not pyrethrum or the various soaps. A damn good pinch is for certain.
Also satisfying.
I appreciate the question and like to hear any and all answers.
The basic problem that makes them undefeatable is that unlike most gardens
pests they do not have a season. That is a hatch, an infestation and then
gone. They are the progeny of those UGLY grubs you see when you are
stripping sod. White with blackish heads, usually in a curved position.
There a million pix of them on the net.
Here in upstate NY they arrive pretty nearly always right on the 4th of July.
You can kill today's beetles and tomorrow there will be a new hatch. And so
on. It does not stop until we have a freeze sometime in September.
I tried the old "pay for bugs routine" with my grandson but he complained the
job was never over and he is right.
They have traveled westward and apparently are not so numerous after leaving
the middle east and northeast. Here there can as many as 100 beetles on one
plant.
I cut off all rose buds after July begins. They are a June flower for me and
that is it with roses. Occasionally my husband with fill a coffee can with
ammonia and water and picks off a can full but one cannot be happy looking
forward to that job every day.
It is not practical to use milky spore on your lawn unless your neighbors
also use it. For me there is just too much grass being cut around our place.
There is also some research needed here before you treat as the grubs go
very deep in cold weather and ordinary lawn chemicals do not kill them. We,
that have wells, are not interested in lawn chemicals.
If you have a smaller city garden, handpicking might do it. They only feed
in sunlight. When there is no sun or after sundown they disappear. If I ever
encounter a genie out of a bottle, this is on my wish list, utter destruction
of JB's.
I am planting things like hollyhocks in different places and they do not
always find all of them. If you have a plant that you want to keep uneaten
for some reason: for instance I have three abutilons outdoors I do not want
to bring in shredded to ribbons, shake rotenone all over the plant thinly.
They won't eat that plant but you must replace it after rain and take care
not to water off the rotenone. Also the plant is funny looking all summer
covered with a powder.
If you live west of the Mississippi you may not have them - yet. This is one
insect that has to be seen to understand the loathing they arouse.
Today's paper tells us that the lily beetle, a bright red beetle that
destroys lilium plantings is moving west. It is presently along the New
England and Canadian coast lines. It is described as having habits similar
to the JB. There go the lilies.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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