Have you seen them in your garden?

They are in my gardens, suddenly, in numbers I have never seen here. In the last ten years I have seen maybe, two, in all that time. Last night I killed ten of them. Some of my roses are ragged.

I talked to the MN Dept of Agriculture. They tell me the beetles are an "Established Pest" which means we have to deal with them. They are spreading through Minnesota. With no natural predators (birds won't eat them), their population could explode here.

Having grown up in NY and Indiana, I can tell you these animals are a terrible plague to ornamental and edible gardens. My parent's linden, cherry and crabapple trees are essentially leafless. Dad gave up on roses years ago. Oh, and the grubs destroy lawn grasses, too.

I was hoping our cold climate would hold the little monsters at bay, but they are here now, and I bet things could be terrible next year.