japanese beetle! I hear that folks carry a pan of soapy water out to the garden, and knock the jb into the pan. they are worse in NY (and probably MI) than here, but we have them, too.

Birdlegs: Go to Sears or somewhere and get a good size "BugZapper"! We used to get hours of enjoyment in Oceanside at night sitting around the pool watching the light/smoke show from the Japanese Beetles fly into the grid!!! (Morbid, huh!?!)

Frank

snap, crackle, pop, huh, frank?

I found this using google, birdlegs.

Here is a link that might be useful: japanese beetle info

Oh yes. A japanese beetle. They are devastating so many plants over here this year. It's like one of the worst invasions I have seen in years. :-\

I don't have these so please keep them all to yourselves.

Don't use a bugzapper they kill the good bugs too like lightening bugs The best way is to grab and crush them! Or throw them into a bucket of detergent Believe me I'm an expert At least you don't have the gigantic green june beetles. Good luck! and I feel your pain! Here's a link

Here is a link that might be useful: Question of the week japanese beetles

This is a 'heavy' year for Beetles in many places, as the all of the moisture from last spring and summer encouraged survival of Beetle eggs that were laid last year. In most cases, damage done by Beetles is cosmetic, and temporary. One old remedy suggests planting a piece of potato (with at least one 'eye') 3" deep, and 4 - 6" from the base of your Rose (or whichever other plant is affected). The potato plant supposedly keeps them away (hopefully it won't attract any Colorado Potato Beetles!).

I must side with Sarah on this one, at most the zappers kill moths and lightning bugs, and the one thing they don't kill is mosquitos. My neighbor had one for years that she kept about 150 feet from my open bedroom window, and all night long: zap, zap, zap. I live in the country for this? Strangely, we usually have lots of japanese beetles, but not this year, they seem to be staying across the river in Pennsylvania. And I don't like to be negative in this forum, but bug zappers are just nasty things for any number of reasons. Even if they were 100% effective, I just wouldn't want the noise and collateral damage. Particularly the damage to moth populations who's larvi is a primary food for many bird species.

Thanks for the tips everyone. Strang that I never saw one before. I will hand pick every cotton picker I see.

I think the best deterrent for Mosquitos is to hang up a bathouse!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bathouses

That's an idea, Birdlegs I have noticed the catbirds go to town in my garden acting like hummingbirds almost it's funny I have to take a picture. They try to sit on the leaf or stem and catch and eat as many japanes beetles as they can . Sarah

Send those catbirds to my house! They can get very very fat on the beetles all over my coneflowers and runner beans and morning glories and million bells and cuphea to name a few of the plants they are eating. I have one baby hibiscus that looks like swiss cheese on a stick.

Penny

In the morning when they are still slow I go collect them into a container of water, no soap, then I dump them on a stone and stomp them.

Sarah, my catbirds just eat my berries.

Lisa

I am grateful to my catbirds Here's another article today from waterloo

Here is a link that might be useful: japanese beetles

Thousands(?) of Japanese Beetles were devastating several shrubs on the golf course. Ugh!

{{gwi:992159}}

That is almost the way some of my plants looked like until I got the bucket of soapy water out and started knocking them in it. They have completely defoliated one of my new baby Hibiscus plants.

Penny

They go to town on hibiscus it's one of their favorites then the hibiscus sawfly attacks the rest it I pulled them up last summer But they came back Penny my salvia lady in red reseeded too so did salvia splendens vanhouti. Sarah

Wow those bat houses are pricey! I wonder if an old fashioned hang on the wall mail box would work just as well with the little mail flap removed. Just a thought, always trying to save a few bucks!

RJM, I have been wanting to get a bat house, but don't they have to be hung about 30 feet high? I read that and haven't figured out how I would get one mounted that high.

Thanks for the links for info on Japanese beetles. After a very hot, very dry summer so far it seems like we have more of these insects than ever. I've been picking them off and stepping on them. I was thinking about buying a trap sold at the garden center and now that I've read about the fact that this might end up attracting more beetles than the trap will actually catch I've decided not to do that.
An interesting fact you might want to know is that these pest are becoming a real problem on the lake. The Japanese beetles seem very attracted to the color red. While boating this week, we've had them all over the red canvas boat covers, flying around all over and landing on whatever they can find in the middle of the lake. I don't enjoy beetles in my hair! ICK!
Guess I'll try some safer soap spray or dropping them in a bucket with some water and dawn dish detergent. Let me know if any of you actually go for the "blend 'em up and spray them back on the plant method" it would be interesting to know if that really works or whether any of you are brave enough to try it! NOT ME! VAL

Yuk...those beetles look nasty. I'm so glad we don't have them in my area. We may have a lot of slugs here, but at least they haven't figured out how to fly (yet!).

This WAS a leopard slug...brave enough to cross the driveway in daylight, after we had rain. After a little "slice N dice", he crawled no more.

Patrick

Holy uglyness Patrick!! How big was that sucker?

Yeah I'm curious how big is that? I think I will pass on the dead beetle mixture. I have too many species of beetles green june bug june bug japanese beetle. Sarah