Hummer garden question

21 years ago

My computer is down and I'm currently at the library, so I may not get your answers right away but am hoping you can help me with a question I have. ( I have only 44 minutes left on the internet at this time...)

We have tons of Japanese Beetles, but only on the morning glories. They are doing some pretty serious damage to the leaves. The flowers are just starting to bloom. I'm picking off as many beetles as I can and putting them in a container of warm soapy water, which is killing them. My question: can we spray the leaves with the warm soapy water solution? Will it hurt the plant or the hummingbirds. My husband is also having trouble with these beetles in the vegie garden and sparys them with something, but we don't want to hurt the hummers, and the morning glories are in the hummer garden!

Any suggestions will be helpful. I can return to the library tomorrow to check the forum.

Thanks, Verna

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Comments (7)

sarahbn
21 years ago
I have them too! You can use insecticidal soap as long as you wash it off right away I think you will get more by handpicking. Sarah
Verna2
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks Sarah...I'm at the library again, but at least it's cool in here! I didn't find so many beetles today so maybe they will just go away (I wish!) I can't wait until our computer, hopefully, gets fixed, as the ones at the library have a time limit an rignt now someone else is waiting. I wanted to read some other forum posts , but I guess not today...visiting up-state NY this Thur. thru next Tues. morning and will miss my hummers
Thanks again, Verna
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mimidi
21 years ago
Verna I hope you get you computer up and going soon. I know it is the pits to be without one after you get used to having one all the time.

Right now I don't have to worry about Japanese beetles.
penny1947
21 years ago
Verna,
I am being plaqued with japanese beetles too...morning glories, purple coneflowers, rose of sharon, hardy hibiscus, cuphea, scarlet runner beans, Cannas and the orange million bells mostly. My plants look like swiss cheese if I don't keep after them every single day. I have a bucket of soapy water that I knock them into and then periodically I spray the leaves only with a light spray of soapy water making sure not to get it near the flowers but just enough to keep them at bey. My neighbor uses the beetle traps and since he started using them I have been getting them in my yard. Never had them before. The traps can draw them from up to 5 miles away.

Penny
Verna2
Original Author
21 years ago
Hello again...finally got back home and the computer was fixed, although Windows had to be reinstalled and of course the internet had to be set up again too =( Everything seems to be up and running again and I've been busy trying to catch up on all the posts from my forum friends (and that's a happy chore!!)
My poor morning glories are all leaves and hardly any flowers =( My husband actually cut it back today as some of the flowers were under all the leaves and didn't get enough sun to open up. The leaves were just starting to not look like "swiss cheese" (thanks for that image, Penny) and I came back to more beetles than before. Thank you Penny for telling me that the traps actually draw more beeles, as I tried to find some (traps, that is) but Wal-Mart was out of them, then I got the computer back and read your post!
We went close to your part of NY and I waved at you...We were in Syracuse, but go up the western side of NY state and across on the thruway. I even saw hummers at my in-laws, Yeah!!!! My Dad-in-law has flowers everywhere, trumpet vine and lots of daylilies and hollyhocks! Meant to bring back a cutting from the trumpet vine, but forgot. Didn't forget to bring back halfmoon cookies though LOL, but the hummers can't eat those =)
I will be out in the morning with my jar of soapy water...what fun!
Hi mimidi, I'm so glad I can read the forum again! I think I'm even almost caught up on my reading.
Verna
richardzone7maryland
21 years ago
I saw a news story saying that this is one of the worst summers ever for Japanese beetles. The hot wet weather is evidently ideal for Japanese beetles. Fortunately I haven't seen very many in my yard. One small oak tree has leaves that look like swiss cheese but otherwise I have not been impacted.

Richard
sarahbn
21 years ago
You are very lucky or doing something right. It seems I've had japanese beetles since I moved in here the only time that I was beetle free was in 2001 and that was because we had a mole invasion and they ate all the grubs then promptly left for grubbier pastures. After that the voles moved into the moles abandoned tunnels and they ate all my most expensive and rarest roots but didn't touch the grubs or beetles. So I spent a fortune on nematodes and watered them into my grass in April 2003 in the rain only to find out in my area the best time to release the grub eating nematodes is August or September So I have more japanese beetles than ever along with june bugs even though it's almost August and they are almost gone leaving lots of holes in my plants and very hungry starlings making a racket in my yard! Sorry I get carried away talking about japanese beetles and their june bug cousins. Sarah