Japanese beetles can easily travel a mile in no time at all. I think to make much of a difference, your neighbors for at least a quarter mile around would have to have the traps in place attracting them to their yard. The traps just don't work for the normal homeowner according to most studies.

I would recommend using biological control. It's safe and, in the long run, more economical. The downfall may be that it takes time for results. Look into Milky spore and other choices at the website below.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/japanese-beetle/jbeetle.html

I bought nematodes last year and put them in my yard. I didn't have a single problem with Japanese Beetles. Now how to get rid of the mosquitoes and the fleas!

Japanese Beetle populations will naturally vary greatly from year to year. Usually, biological controls take a few years to be at peak performance. Maybe by the time you get another bunch of the pests, your nematodes will be at full force.

I've been wondering how those mosquito machines that use propane work. Anybody had any experience?

Unless all of your neighbors also use milky spore, it may not be as effective as you hope. Japanese Beetles do travel great distances. Regarding the traps, they should be placed as far away as possible, generally; I've heard numbers like 300 feet away. My neighbors and I take turns hosting the traps each year, and this seems to work out fairly well for us.

I have also planted hardy yellow roses as a "food crop" for them, which seems to deter them from attacking all of the other plants in my yard. I don't have any yellow roses in July or August, but this one (Teasing Georgia by David Austin) is very tough and always bounces back and they leave some of the more delicate roses alone. They will also be attracted to flowering plum trees and other members of the hibiscus family, so you can use those as food plants as well. Just pick something that is very tough or that you won't miss if they totally eat it up. It will be even more effective if you can place the food plants upwind from the rest of your garden.

I am also trying something new this year: yellow 4 o'clocks. I've been told that 4 o'clocks are poisonous to them and, since yellow is a food color for them, I'm hoping they'll gorge on the 4 o'clocks and poison themselves. I'll let you guys know if that works out this year.

--April

Don't count on the 4 o'clocks. I grow yellow 4 o'clocks & certainly don't notice a decline in the population of J beetles. The 1st year I heard that, I checked for dead beetles, & did notice a few dead ones around. Maybe my yard has tastier things that they like though, because they don't eat 4 o'clocks as much as other things. The LOVE my purple leaf plum & crape myrtles!

Cherissa,

This may be a dumb question, but what are the nematodes you are speaking of?

Katie

I put bags on the corners of my property (between 4 and 6 bags)and captured thousands of beetles. I had to replace them every other day and sometimes every day. You could see them swarming around trying to get in the bags. when you think that each female lays 40 - 60 eggs - WOW! At least I reduced the population. I had very few beetles on my roses and other things. Those I knocked off in soapy water or squished them. I did spray my peach tree with liquid Sevin every two weeks or so since I lost all the peaches in 2004 to JBs. I'll use the bags again this year - I just hope they don't stay around for months like they did last year.

I don't remember where I ordered mine from but here is the link to Garden's Alive and their description.

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardens Alive

Katiedidcottage: you had asked what beneficial nematodes are: They're small microsopic worms that lives below the soil.
They enter the grub or larva of an insect, kill them with bacteria, and lay their eggs there. There are many different kinds, which can target a particular insect, so they don't harm other insects, etc. in the process. They come in a powder, and you mix them with water and spray on the ground.
I've never tried them, but I plan to.
Try the link below for an article and a list of suppliers-
-Molly

Here is a link that might be useful: Beneficial Nematodes: Info and Suppliers

Thanks for all of your help!
I had been considering putting down the milky spore (and, of course, kicking myself for not doing it before). Thanks,
April, for the info: Now I know that it wouldn't make much difference to just treat my own yard.

By the way: I tried all sorts of homemade things (cans of fruit cocktail, etc.) last year, and caught only a few of them, FYI.
I will probably try the idea I had about using the traps at the edge of the property, with just a LITTLE piece of the bait that comes with them, which, hopefully, will just attract the beetles nearest to my yard.
-Molly

Molly, milky spore spread and multiply, so by using them in your yard, it helps a much larger area. Like any solution, it's not going to kill every pest, but it is definitely a good thing and will help. Unlike the bait, milky spore will not attract the beetles to your property, so they don't hurt. And, as I said earlier in the previous post, it takes some time for them to build to full effect.

Milky spore are actually spread by the beetles. You may be familiar with the ant traps that are sold at the supermarkets. Only a small amount of the ants actually go into the trap, but the ones that do take the poison back to the others. The Japanese beetles get infected with the milky spore and spread them as they fly away and die.

I'm not trying to say that they are for sure the best solution for every Japanese Beetle problem, but they are widely considered to be at least amoung the best solutions.

I understand you wanting to use something safe for other creatures and mold spore will be the only help if you can get enough and have patience enough , then I hear your neighbors have to use spore also to be effective........SINCE your not spraying the world , you should use what I learned here..
ITS BAYER INSECT KILLER :
{{gwi:1279332}} It really works , it holds up after a rain shower or two and kills the Japanese Beetles. Its a clear spray , mix w/water , add to a spray bottle and keep those crapes and roses beautiful. I have never had luck eradating these pests until someone here reported BAYER , Im glad they did , It really works and seems very safe , as safe as the products are...IT WORKS !!!!!! it comes in 9.99 or 19.99 bottle , The bigger bottle may be stronger BUT it will last ALL SUMMER or until they leave or die out .

I have a fairly large yard, and put out Milky Spores in the summer of 2003. There was a noticeable reduction in 2004 and a significant reduction in beetles in 2005. I still have some Japanese Beetles, but the numbers were reduced enough where hand picking was enough to minimize damage.

I also grow 4 o'clocks which are supposed to be poisonous to the JB's.

As I grow a lot of plants to specifically draw in butterflies and birds, I limit my pesticide use whenever possible. The Milky Spores have appeared to work well for me - - and I'll be interested to see my results this summer.