Milky Spore is the organic way to kill them, but it kills the grubs before they develop into beetles, not the nasty voracious beetles themselves. It does increase in effectiveness and last about 8 to 10 years, but for this year, you are probably doomed to knock them off to a bucket of water or pick them off. Of course, some of the non-organic sprays will kill them.
kay

I plan to use "Concern"...found it on the internet. Protected my climbing rose but not sure what it will do for my newly planted Austins. Doesn't harm fish and I have to use something that won't kill my koi. My wisteria hangs over my fish pond and the beetles love it! Didn't have as many last year....don't know about this year yet. Good Luck!! Too bad the koi won't eat the hungry devils!!!

Buy some Milky Spore and spread it. It is a long-term solution that should kill the beetle larvae. While you are waiting for it to work you can knock the beetles into a bucket of soapy water. The beetles head straight down when disturbed so it is easy to stick a bucket under them and then pull on the rose branch and let them drop. With only four roses this should be fairly quick and easy for you.

If the JB come in sufficient numbers, I believe there is no available solution, certainly not milky spore or hand removal. If they come in more modest numbers, the insecticides mentioned in the report linked below may give acceptable results (scroll down to page 20, Residual and Antifeedant Activity of Landscape Insecticides Against Adult Japanese Beetles). The only "organic" insecticides judged effective in the article are Pyola (composed of canola cooking oil and pyrethrin, obtained from chrysanthemum flowers) and neem extract. Authentic neem extract, as used in the article, is the original alcohol extract of the neem plant and contains the insecticide and insect repellent, azadirachtin. Authentic neem extract is hard to find. The big box stores carry mostly products formulated with "hydrophobic extract of neem", a nearly worthless residue of the alcohol extraction process.

Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Beetle Article

Two things will get rid of the beetles. (1) milky spore or Bacillus Popillae and (2) Neem Oil ( the real and organic type). If you see skeletel leaves you probably have japanese Beetles. If you choose to knock or pick them off make sure you drop them into soapy water to kill them. Put some nematodes in your soil to kill the larvae. I have beautiful roses and no problems with them. My secret weapon is 32oz. of water with approx. two teaspoons of neem oil the Dyna-grow brand and a teaspoon of Ivory liquid. your roses and their leaves will be gorgeous and you will not have any disease or pests. I guess there has been controversy about Neem but I have used it for years and it is the only thing that really works and my roses stay drop dead beautiful. the bees are happy and so are the lady bugs. I spray everyday but i do so in the afternoon. Once a week I use Rose Defense. If you are going to grow roses and you want them to be beautiful you will have to spray them. the neem oil is just a vegetable oil. that is all.

Happy growing,
Rosa

I think the Neem oil helps a lot with keeping them under control. We used to have a grape arbor and they LOVE grape leaves. We finally had to get rid of the grapes. Now they are not a big problem,, but they do like the Oakleaf hydrangeas and of course, the roses. Try the Neem oil. I recently bought some online here... http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=FE-DG-NEEM

Here is a link that might be useful: Source for Dyna-Grow Neem Oil

Isn't it too hot to use neem oil? I just found my first batch of JB this season and I would love to use the recipe that Rosa offered, but I was told not to use neem when the temps are over 50 degrees and I'm in Atlanta!

Also, when is the best time to use Milky spore?

The growers posting here mustn't get them like I do. In my experience, nothing has worked, spraying or not spraying, using sex attractant bags, milky spore (so many times I've lost count). Even if my garden doesn't get them in the soil, my neighbors have plenty to share. I grow over 250 roses, my yard's the smorgesborg. lol. I've certainly quit spraying, I let them have the flush and hope they don't cut into my next one. ~bb

I have the same opinion as barbie. If you have a lot of JBs, nothing will help. Spraying or not, they will come. In my yard JBs consider Neem a great salad dressing for roses and other plants.
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Olga

LOL Olga! Yup, a picture is worth a thousand. (Words, I mean..........NOT japanese beetles.) ~bb

I. Hate. Them.

Spraying doesn't help prevent them. But it kills them. And that makes me feel good.

I have seen only 6 JBs this year. Last fall I put down GrubX and again this year in April, May, and I will put it down again this weekend. Killing the grubs (baby beetles) is I think the way to go. Milky spores does the same thing but something was eating my lawn last fall so I used GrubX and since I had some left I will use it until it is gone.

There is a new product on the market that I believe repels the JBs. It is called Bye Bye Beetles and is made by Organic Plant Healthcare. They are out of NC. I have used other products in their Peter Beales Natural rose care line and so far I like the products. They are a small company and usually email or call them to place an order.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. All the information was helpful, especially the scientific study cited above. I got a couple of good ideas. Thanks again.

Soniarose,

I thought the Bay Area does not experience JB's at all, compared to the heavy infestations of the east coast.

Are they there now?

I have been using Merit out of desperation. Nothing eats those things. I haven't tried Milky Spore/Grub X, though.

I use a fire wand to kill them by burning them alive. All you have to do is hit them on their backs with the torch and they are goners. It smells bad, but you get used to it.

John Sheldon (Golden Age/Hollywood Star) told me that he uses a plastic milk jug, cuts a hole in the top opposite the handle, large enough to put a bloom in. He then sprays the bud / bugs.

I've been doing this since he told me about it. Some days I will spray the bugs right on the plant, then stick the bud in and cut it off. I then give the JB's another blast of spray. Yesterday I lost a few, they ended up flying away, but I doubt they got far.

I then dump them in a covered trash can to bake until they're fried.

I'm going to try a peanut butter container today. I think I have bug jars from the dollar store, so I may try that too.

"I have been using Merit out of desperation. Nothing eats those things."
********************

See the link below for a photo that show otherwise. I just picked the first photo I came across, but there are others.

That said, I cannot fathom the depth of the east Coast Japanese Beetle infestations. Numbers are on the rise here in northern Illinois, but it is quite manageable, so far. Even when we had our acreage and had fruit trees we could handpickeasily enough to keep them under control.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wheel/Assassin bug eating a Japanese Beetle

Green, I don't dare click that link because bug pics gross me out, but there's a bug that eats JB's???

Yes, there is. Assassin Bugs have been photographed eating japanese Beetles. But I have no idea how many they are able to consume, or if they eat them only when there is nothing else to eat, or what. But they DO eat them, as is evidenced in the photos.

It's quite possible that assassin bugs might not be able to keep up with the numbers of JB's the east deals with.

But if you don't want yours, I'll take 'em! :oD

The pics are almost at the end of the page, maybe three-quarters of the way down, but there are two or three more on this page of different assassin bugs eating JB's.

Funny caption under one about how two wheel bugs were fighting over one JB when there were about "ten thousand" in the gal's yard, lol!

Here is a link that might be useful: A couple pics in this group of assassin bugs eating JB's

I once saw a bug that appeared to be stinging a JB. But I doubt I'd ever have enough of them.

I read that JBs aren't a problem in Japan because of the natural predators that take care of the population there. (The JB population, that is.)

Milky spore is less effective in colder zones such as mine. Our cooperative extension doesn't recommend it because you would need to apply it yearly forever------it doesn't overwinter when the temperatures drop.

I want to know what wild birds (if any) eat the beetles. I think that guinea fowl and chickens will eat them, but the closest I have are wild turkeys that occasionally come through my property. Very frustrating, last year I must have killed thousands upon thousands (literally), flicking them into soapy water several times/day.

Or you can do what I do, ignore them for the time they are around, then reclaim your roses after the worse is over.
Yes, I have lots of them as I live in an area surrounded by soybean fields, another beetle favorite.
My lawn service treats the lawn yearly with an insecticide for grubs that seems to be very effective without harming the earthworms.
I've accepted the fact that millions of them will fly in as roses are a gourmet meal for Japanese beetles. Not spraying an insecticide on the roses for over five years seems to have created a good balance in my garden which is filled with many birds and predatory insects.
I think they sense their presence doesn't bother me so much as they seem to congregate more in the gardens of neighbors who complain and wage war on them each year.

Hi all!

I havenÂt yet seen the first JB of the season here. Any day now:/

In the past, IÂve seen a female House Sparrow hunt JBÂs in my garden to feed to her chicks. SheÂs learned a few tricks too. She figured out that itÂs too hard to pin down the JBÂs in mulch/grass, so she tackles them to the concrete side walk, pecks their little bodies apart, snarfs them down, goes to feed her chicks and comes back for more. Go Sparrow Go! Hope she teaches her little ones to hunt them too.

Regards,
PoseyPlanter