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Re: Attack of the Japanese Beetles

OH Gawd!  Restraint??  Here's restraint:

Forty years ago, I lived in an area where Japanese beetles were a novelty. 
They didn't eat much, and seemed to be attracted to just a few
things....like roses, which were munched to bare stems if we ignored the
beetles.  At the time, we could keep up with the damage by catching
marauding individual beetles.

There are a lot more beetles now.  They munch on quite a few plants, and
they can cause enough damage to kill....like the plum tree I *used* to
have.  They can also detassle a field of corn in a few days.  They will
even nosh on plants that just happen to be near their favorite meal
options.  My coping method is trying to avoid using victim plants and using
wind shadows when I can...and I still goof.  They seem to love Anchusa
'Dropmore'...in spite of its prickly leaf surface.  Kerria japonica is
another mistake.  They love scented yellow daylilies.  They've eaten the
heart out of my cotoneaster hedge.  I still try to cope with them....but,
unfortunately, I cannot afford to ignore them.
    
Barb in Southern Indiana    Zone 5/6     <dorsett@kiva.net>
    Don't go through life, grow through life. -Eric Butterworth
******
Here is southern california, the japanese beetles are not a problem.  We
have them, but to us, they are more an interesting curiosity than anything
else.  They do not eat much, I have yet to find any fruit that they have
damaged.  Cheryl, are you sure they are actually harming anything in your
garden?  Take a closer look, they might not be as harmful as you expect and
if they aren't, I suggest your strategy be one of restraint, i.e. don't do
anything.

Nan

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Nan Sterman, "gardening addict"
Olivenhain, California
Sunset Zone 24, USDA Zone 10b or 11
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