Why not? 1 beetle will produce 40 more. Go back out there an smush the little devil.

Got my first few yesterday. Fortunately, they were all in the buckets of soapy water that my 2 JB traps dump into! Haven't seen any on my plants yet, but it's early...

Rick

Saw my first one on Sunday afternoon. One more yesterday. Oh no.

Connie

kentucky - you need to get heartless! I guarantee when you see the buggers munching on your roses you will feel differently.

I've seen a few...but I don't have a lot of blooms right now so I'm sure they are just waiting.

They're here. Time to use the Merit.

A few more today... I'm still in soapy bleachy water mode.

I saw my first today while deadheading. Dispatched the little devil immediately. I have very few blooms right now so I'm hoping they will go elsewhere.

By the way, our local rose society has been thinking of ordering some of a new product that is advertised to get rid of JBs. It is made from cedar and the claim is that the cedar odor will repel them, just as it does in a cedar storage closet (not that I've ever seen a JB in the storage closet). We'll see.

I saw my first JB's this morning...evil little buggars. Knocked them off, and then did a tap dance on their little heads. I only have a few blooms now, my roses are resting from their first flush so hopefully they will fly away...very far away.

kentucky rose, if you don't have the heart to squash them, knock them into a bowl of soapy water and they will die. Don't think about the one but the future 40 times 40 times 40...according to my calculator that generation would be 64,000! I don't even want to think about the next generation. If only 50% were females, then that would still be 8000! The females lay eggs all season.

Southern NJ, Glouster County, they are here. Been killing over a dozen a day since 3 - 4 days ago. I never had them this bad in Burlington County.

They are here in Tennessee, too. They seem to be coming in spurts. The most I have found have been about 10 on one of my crepe myrtles. I pick off 3-5 per day off of my roses. Do the soapy water thing! When they are feasting on your plants, they let off a hormone that attracts even more beetles! So don't let even one go, or else you'll soon have more. This year I am trying the bayer rose drench product. I just had it in my garage from a while back~ figured I may as well give it a shot.

Phil - they're here by Peoria on Thursday. Sprayed the cedar spray Thursday night; didn't faze them a bit. They were sunning themselves on the roses and the clematis Friday a.m. I bought Bye-Bye Beetles and was hoping this was the answer. I sprayed Thursday night and I'm going to spray again tomorrow and see if it knocks them down. In the meantime, I'm drowning them in soapy water.
-terry

Saw my first Japanese beetle on Wednesday. Had a wonderful time murdering him or her. Guess the battle is once again set to begin!

This is how I protect my roses

{{gwi:294750}}

Markiz37, where to you purchase the netting?

I am now actively killing any JB's that I see. So far, I'm just seeing an occasional JB, not complaining though.

I put down Milky Spore twice last year and it did no good whatsoever. At this rate I'll be dead by the time it works.

So...I took action and bought a Japanese Beetle Sex Lure trap. Worked for moths in the prunus so I thought I'd give it a go.

Set it up night before last and there were close to 100 beetles in there within 24 hours. None on the roses this a.m. The box says the lure should last all season but I'm willing to go for another $6 and replace it next month. The bags also get changed out.

So far, it beats anything else I've tried.

http://www.bonideproducts.com/products/product.php?category_id=197

Kentucky rose, at Wallmarkt, 50 cent a yard.

rococogurl, I cut the bottom off the bags and tied the narrow neck to the top of an empty milk jug. Then when it is full, I just untie and put the lid on it. Replace it with an empty jug.

countrygirl -- great idea. Will try.

Meanwhile, I tied off the first bag (gross) and replaced it with the second (it rained) -- package had 2. There were a couple of JBs on the flowers today but dozens in the bag. I'm thinking of putting out another lure on the other side of the lawn if this one continues to work as well. Such a nice surprise when even the Sevin spray didn't seem to be dispatching these guys.

markis37, great idea! I thought briefly of row-cover material...that tulle seems very suited to the occassion.

So, WHAT is that gorgeous rose under the netting?

I had my first few beetles yesterday. I took two off roses, and four off the dwarf pears. I get up now and head straight out to do a beetle check every morning. I am nervous and paranoid.

Killed 3 on Neptune yesterday the first ones that I actually saw, but there have been signs since last Friday.

Oh, Harry and Olga, how are things by you?

I have about 100 in my little bucket. A beautiful flush of about 10 Peace blooms is now Swiss Cheese. The orgy is on.

I just came in from spotting my first JB while taking pictures. (I did not take his picture. I stomped on him.)

I'm convinced that he was sent out as a scout by the Japanese Beetle Metropolis Death Squad. When he doesn't return, belly stuffed with the rugosa leaf he was devouring when I nabbed him, the Squad will know that they must avoid my property at all costs. They will proceed to Plan B, heading for my nasty neighbor up the hillÂand picking up some rosa multiflora pollen on the way.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

GRRRR!!
Found my first 2 last night.
The 1st little BLEEP BLEEP, had devoured an entire side of a Reine des Violettes bloom.
I broke out the Bayer and sprayed him, and sprayed him, and... I swear he was holding his gut laughing at me.
So I placed him in a jar and sprayed him a few more times, guess the Bayer works if you drown in it... who's laughing now? HA!
As I was heading to throw his dead body in the burn barrel I found a 2nd one.
Killed him too!
The war is on.
Was thinking about getting one maybe 2 or even 3 of those traps and placing it (them) near my mean ole' neighbors house.
Nothing like killing 2 birds with one stone :o)
Back to the battle field
The Lioness

alisande, Japanese Beetle Metropolis Death Squad! Too cool!!! If it just wasn't so true...

I went to the link and found 3 local places that sell Beetle Bags. Call my regular hardware store (listed). Do you have Beetle Bags (exact words)? Yes. Do you have plenty? Goes and looks. Yes. I'll be right down.

So I get there, and they don't have them and come home with 2 boxes of Safer Japanese Beetle Traps. Sounds like a hassle to set up, but I will do it because I'm fed up already.

Do you think they will be just as effective? The clerk said it was the same ingredients that attract them. Then the antidote if you poison yourself or get some on your skin sounds scary. Wash for 15 minutes. Call Poison Control Center and/or your doctor, if person is able to swallow, unconscious, and so on.

So I'm supposed to hang them about 3' off the ground in a sunny spot away from my roses and more. Every sunny spot except right in front and middle of back yard is filled with my roses.

Also, what happens with the bags when it rains?

I dropped about 50 or so into a bucket of soapy water last night. When I was done, I took them in and microwaved them in the soapy water to make sure there are no eggs surviving. Then I added ice and dumped this mix around the base of one of my roses. It gives me more sastisfaction feeding JBs to roses and having JBs feed on my roses.

This is the biggest infestation I have seen here. Our ground did not freeze under the ice and snow this winter, and I wonder if that has something to do with their #s.

Despite our

I dropped 72 JBs into a bucket of soapy water tonight, then microwaved them.

Be careful out there. I also tried to dig some form of bee or wasp out from inside the petals of a rose, under the belief it was a JB. It buzzed and I backed out until it dropped to the ground where I could dispatch him.

The JBs were the worst I'd ever seen last year, but this year I have only seen a few so far. Maybe the cooler temps this spring has delayed their emergence.

It does drive me crazy to see them all over a rosebud, so a few years ago, I cut up an old pair of pantyhose and made little 'rose hoods' out of them by tying a knot in one end. I fasten the hoods over the developing rosebud until it is about to open, then I cut the bloom and bring it inside.

I like the idea of the tulle, though; it protects the entire bush instead of just the flowers. How do you keep the tulle from blowing away?

Thanks for the neat idea,

Lois in Pa

Here is a link that might be useful: