Just checked mine and no signs of any thus far... wish I could say the same about the weeds....

What are they?

The Japanese Beetle (which "feast" on many perennials/annuals eg hardy hibiscus)

I don’t have those, but almost every perennial in my front garden is being disfigured by the fourlined bug. i dont know how to fight it.

Geeze, I just posted on the "Trees" forum about how they decimated a very large wild cherry tree's leaves on the edge of my property. Also my Virginia Creeper on the side of the garage. They can eat the Vir.Cpr anywhere else on the property but I really like what I have on the garage. Been there for years, now looks terrible, never saw JBs do this kind of damage before.

Yeah, I saw one on a dahlia leaf about a week back. I don't usually have a big problem with them (she whispers so they don't hear lol) but I still don't like to see them, in case they do get out of control. My nemesis is the asiatic beetle. Grrrr

:)

Dee

Yes, I thought I had escaped them this year but they were just late, darn. But, I'm not seeing a lot of them, which is usual for me. Today I should have time to do some monitoring.

I saw one a few days ago, but the asiatic beetles are driving me nuts. They sure love to hide in my roses and hollyhocks.

Thank goodness I walk the garden every morning! They're back here, too. They were found on zinnias and roses today.

On my Zinnias, usually around high noon. I go out with a bowl of water and flick the nasty things into the bowl . I've gotten quite good at it lol. Today I found one on a dahlia too.

I do the soapy water and bucket thing too on foliage I can reach. As for the trees, I never seemed to notice until it was too late. It was like over night they stripped the leaves. I'm still in disbelieve.

I use old plastic coffee containers and fill them with 91% isopropyl alcohol and flick the squash bugs and JB into the cans. Cans last all year and only smell like alcohol, the bugs never ferment. Keep one can in each garden area in close proximity.

I have had them on my zinnias and my other annuals for the last week. I watched them eat a friends big beautiful rose bush in a day. They did not notice until the bush was half gone. They hung the traps and sprayed the rest of the shrubs they have. They are horrible and so are the earwigs for me. They were eating all my coleus making them so ugly. They still don't compare to the damage of the bad beetle. I used to get them all over my diapers on the clothes line when my kids were babies many many years ago. They were so gross. They just love every ones roses around here.

I'm not aware of any sprays that protect against the JB. I did read some research that showed using the bags actually increases local populations of JB because the bags use an attractant and attract more than they kill.

I wish someone would make a REPELLANT for JB. Over the years I have found them on my blackberries, blueberries, zinnias, my COLOCASIA!!!, purple hyacinth bean... so maddening.

I read those bags were not too smart either and only attracted them after her troubles. There are many tree sprays if you don't mind using them. Spectracide and many other named brands have sprays for JB. I spray when I have to. It is either that or loose all my hard work.

I have had great success tamping down my numbers using a nematode treatment and milky spore over a couple year time period. We have a large yard so were able to treat a pretty wide swath around our plants. Helped with moles too, less grubs for them to forage for. It's expensive and takes a few years to kick in. But it does help nip the problem in the bud, so to speak. I use Sevin spray if my infestation gets widespread and I can't keep up with picking them off. But Sevin won't work if you have a severe infestation, just like every other method. You have to use a combination of methods to get your numbers down to a manageable level. That's why I like the grub treatments, they treat the earlier stage of life as well as the adult. I get my nematode and other organic treatment supplies from Arbico organics. Pricey but very professional with lots of good information on application and support to figure out the best way to go for your situation. I don't use the standard grub treatment that you get at the big box, that stuff is so persistent and kills a lot of non-target stuff. Not good if you are trying to build healthy immunity in your soil and plant interface. Theoretically it does eventually break down, but like I said, I think it kills a lot of beneficial micro-organisms and sets you back if you are trying to establish a healthy micro-biome. It's sort of ironic that you have to do such comprehensive strategies if you're going mostly organic, but once you get into the swing of it, it becomes easier and easier.