So far, I have seen only about half a dozen jbs this year. This time, last year, I was constantly picking them off my roses. I suspect that the reduced jbs in my area are due to the rather crazy winter and spring we had.

Only found 9 here, have not found any lately...

Mine just arrived. Thankfully the big flushes are just finishing up. However, for the first time ever I had the other oriental beetles for the last month. At least they were not as destructive as the jbs. I read they last about 4-6 weeks in the garden.

I had probably 200 or so a a few weeks ago.

I drowned them all in bleach water over the course of a week. I just cut the blooms they were on and dunked the whole thing. If they were nice blooms I tried to get just the beetles.

They kept coming, so I used Sevin Dust (last weekend, I think?). I've seen less than 10 since then.

Do they not stick around until the fall? I was under the impression that if I didn't get rid of them that they would never leave.

I have had them for a week so far... last year it was my first time dealing with them, but they were only a few and they only wanted my roses... this year they came out strong and are taking over a bunch of different bushes and vegetables, including my roses... I purchased those traps and I probably already have half of the bag full, I am not kidding you... I took the trap out 2 days ago and today I went out there and I don't see any around... maybe that did it or maybe there were on their way out.

Good gravy yes! wahhh!! What's up with these guys? We are still picking several off every day. They aren't eating our Munstead Woods and Lady Shallot, but are chowing on our Night Owl and Bordeaux. I wonder how they decide who their victims will be? Luckily our Bordeaux has been blooming like it's going out of style, but there are still JBs nomming all over it.

I'm just learning, but I thought they didn't like to hang out in the heat of the day? Just early in the morning and early in the evening. If that's correct, ours have discovered sunscreen. -_-

They are here by the thousands! They arrive the middle of June and don't leave until around the first part of October. There is no lessening after the first couple of weeks they get into full swing. They have been so heavy some years you couldn't walk outside in the highest heat of the day without shielding your face. It doesn't matter whether it is a once bloomer like OGR Gallicas or the sweetest of repeat DAs, they gobble them down flowers, leaves and all. Several years ago I decided I had to spray because they were eating actual apples and raspberries in my garden. I found bees floundering in death after and it saddened me so much for my callous decision that I haven't done it since. It's hard to pick the JBs in the highest heat as they are the most active and many get away, so I have to content myself with picking them morning and evening. It's practically a fulltime job!

JB leaf damage on gallica (sorry pic is sideways!)

Ikayetwv, have you considered putting milky spore? That seems to be the only thing I've read that works in really reducing their numbers long-term. I've had a few more this year than in the past but of course I have a lot more roses! I just walk around with my soapy water and a little fork and toss them in. I cut off the whole Rose if it doesn't look like I can coax it well enough.

HalloBlondie, what is the other Oriental beetle? It's always something it seems.

Sun2Shinie, not to go OT, but how do you like Bordeaux? I'm considering getting this from High Country roses but haven't seen much press on it.

Hi Vaporvac! :-)

I love Bordeaux. Al didn’t think he’d like it when I ordered it from Chamblees, but he now says “oh wow!” quite a bit when he walks by it. ;-) I think he’s changed his mind?

It’s been blooming and growing like crazy. The blooms are so cute and a nice shade of red. I wouldn’t say a red red like Firefighter, but definitely much more red than many “reds”. It seems to have a bit of a fragrance, but I haven’t noticed it being very intense. The blooms are on the smaller side, but a bit larger than say Earth Angel. The petals look scalloped but flat-ish.

It’s planted in one of our foundation beds about 6’ from the house. Rock&Roll is planted next to it. It fared better than Rock&Roll over the winter. Even still Rock&Roll is barely over 1’ high, while Bordeaux is probably 3X that. It’s gets full sun from about noon until sunset. Our heat here in AR doesn’t seem to bother the blooms. These awful Japanese Beetles have really been the only problem we’ve had with it.

Shannon :-)

Ikayetwv - that's unfathomable. Horrors!

Carol

@Vapovac- the oriental beetle is called just that, it looks very similar to the japanese beetle. When I first saw them, I thought it was a weird albino JB. Because they are lighter in colouring.

The season seems to last forever but I think it's really still about 6 weeks. I am drowning beetles twice a day.

I put down milky spore about 8 years ago; my next door neighbors let me treat their yards too fortunately! I think it's time to put it down again since it really did reduce their numbers significantly.

The U. of Maryland website says they will be pretty well gone by early August. Yippee, well before the fall flush!

Here is a photo of Sunny Sky. It shows why l like to stay away from highly scented roses. My roses usually begin to bloom sometime in June. The jb’s arrive sometime in June or when ever the heat turns on.

The jb’s leave in October or when the heat shuts down. The rose are done sometime in November. Or whenever the cold hits. That is about 2 months that it does not look like this.

Oh, Patty, that is sooooo sad! I have a few roses that look like that also. It can get quite depressing looking at those raggedy blooms, can't it.

Have you tried the milky spore solution? It's bad enough having to put up with JBs for half the summer, but until October? I haven't tried milky spore myself, but a couple more summers of JBs like I'm having this summer so far, and I'll be thinking about trying milky spore on my lawns also.

Possibly good news to report--JB patrol tonight yielded NO JBs! Could they be gone? Heat exhaustion (we've been having triple-digit heat for some time now)? Guess I'll know tomorrow when I go out for morning JB patrol. I'm trying not to get too excited, but . . . you know how it is! : )

Kate

Patty - that's heartbreaking. Horrible JBs.

Kate - good for you!!!!

Carol

JB's just showed up here just last week but they're busy out there taking over from the yearly scourge of Rose Chafer beetles that were a bit late making their appearance, the Chafers normally showing up in May just as the first of my OGR's make their appearance. This year the roses were weeks late beginning to bloom - and so were the Chafers, matching their emergence perfectly to tasty petals being available. So, my once bloomers get decimated by the Chafers and then the JB's come along to torment all the rest of the roses all the rest of the season. If I didn't love roses so passionately, I wouldn't try to grow them at all anymore. (And I am so not risking the few bees I see around here nowadays with any chemicals!)

Anne

They completely got my heritage but left my Knock out roses alone ... WTH?

The JB made a record early appearance here -- June 27th! At first, it was just a few small ones -- I can live with that! But they are now up to covering all blooming roses, crawling over laundry on the line, and flying into your hair levels -- Yuck! There is one exception: my two year old Kordes roses, Lemon Fizz. The plants are just chugging away with cheerful single flowers, and I haven't seen any JB damage on them at all. Strange!

No JB's here but Oriental beetles are here, which I think are worse. The JB's left some roses alone, the OB's seem far less discriminatory. Thrips infestations are bad this year too. Couple those with hot, humid weather with no rain and the garden is looking pretty sad. Very little new growth and stressed looking leaves that no amount of watering seems to help.

sharon

Just came in from my morning JB patrol--found only about 4 JBs and either they weren't awake yet or they are in deep decline--mostly immobile, very lethargic, slight movement. But it is much earlier than when I usually go out, so maybe they are waiting to warm up in the sun when it tops my neighbor's big oak trees and the sunrays can reach my yard more directly and fully.

But that is 2 patrols now with very few JBs to be found.

(I hope, I hope, I hope!)

Kate

Sunny Gardener - that is weird about Lemon Fizz! Wonderful...but strange. :) I can't imagine JBs flying into my hair...yuck.

Sharon - you're singing my song (unfortunately)...my rose leaves are terrible with thrips damage. I started putting the blue cups out yesterday...gonna do some more today.

Kate - sounds like you found the sweet spot where they're too cold to do much but sit there! Excellent!!! I hope so too!

Carol

JB activity picking up quite a bit in my garden, finally had enough yesterday, sprayed the little b*****ds. They were even skeltonizing the leaves of my OGR's that haven't had any blooms on them for the last 3 weeks. Sunny Gardener...I have Lemon Fizz & the JB's attack it also

Anne, I saw my first Rose Chafer beetle last year. I didn’t know what it was until you mentioned it in a beetle thread. So after that I have been in denial. I hope that the JB’s never get worse for you CB’s are bad enough and they are ugly.

Carol, It’s not that bad really (well it is) but you get them anyway. I have found threw the years that you need a few sacrificial lambs. A couple of roses that the beetles love so much that that some others are left alone.

wirosarian, your so dog gone funny.

Now who remembers the poster from years back. They showed a necklace made from JB’s. Maybe we should have their nutritional levels tested like they are with other insects.

I haven't seen any on my roses yet *fingers crossed* BUT they've been doing a number on my newly planted Crape Myrtle. I knock off at least 5 a day :( It should be full of blooms but there are only a few left.

Total 9 so far plus found 3 more today...one is in soap the other two got away...

I drown about a dozen beetles a day. They especially enjoy Lady of Shalott, Abraham Darby and oddly enough, Fire Opal & Sallie Holmes. These roses are all in an older part of my garden, although not adjacent. The newer plantings , for some reason, remain untouched. Also, I see very little damage to foliage. I guess at this level I still find it manageable.

Patty - oh my sweet goodness...a JB necklace? Shivers of horrors!!! :)

Carol

Carol, ugh thrips!!! Hundreds this year. They're even eating my astilbe flowers. I have some blue pinwheels in my garden but need to put more out and on longer stakes. They're too short to seem to do much good. It seems we can't wait for summer then spend our whole summer battling insects. I think there's a bit of insanity in we rose gardeners ;-) but when we finally get that perfect rose with that intoxicating scent...heaven.

sharon

Hi Kate,

I’m in the same situation as Patty - I have hundreds daily. I treated my front yard with milky spore a few years ago to hopefully decrease these numbers but I still find plenty of grubs in the soil (although fewer) but I’m sure the rest travel from neighboring yards. I don’t know about all of you but they stick around for 12-14 weeks around here, not just 7-8 weeks as I’ve read. I’m sorry they’re eating your astilbe, Sharon. They are even eating my hydrangeas and hibiscus this year, which they have not done in the past.

Sharon - I think that quite often...we must be crazy to put up with all the angst we go through...all the winter months of looking at rose books/magazines/etc....then they come and I'm disappointed with what I accomplish rose growing. But then there's the fragrance/color/petal conformation and we're all lost to it and sooo happy!!! Stupid thrips!

Dave - hundreds daily....ewwwww. Horrible JBs!!

Carol

Oh, Dave, you have my sympathies. I don't live that far from the Missouri state line--please tell those horrible critters they are not welcome over here in Kansas! Truly hate to leave you stuck with the little horrors, but I don't know what I'd do if they were so thick that they were eating my crepe myrtles and hydrangeas also!

About the milky spore--I seem to remember some posters saying you have to put it down three times in a row in three years. You might try the multiple years experiment and let us know how well it does or doesn't work.

Kate

I’ll do that. The granular milky spore has to be applied 3 times a year for 2 years but the powder product is only supposed to have to be applied once. However, where I have already tried the powder, I think I will try the granular product. I can definitely vouch that JB traps end up attracting more into the area than what is trapped. I tried this last year because I was desperate to find another solution despite the warnings but the warnings were true.

I hope they don’t become any worse for you all. I would love to find a solution to this scourge.