Imagine a world where your garden isn't plagued by ravenous Japanese beetles who eat every plant in sight. If you lived in America prior to 1912, you wouldn't have to imagine this scenario because you would be living it. As their name suggests, Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) are native to Japan. The water surrounding the island and the insect's natural predators kept them contained there until the fateful day that a plant was shipped from Japan to the United States. Hiding in the soil of this plant were Japanese beetle grubs, who thrived in American where their natural enemies were few. If you want to return your garden to a beetle-free paradise, there are steps you can take to reclaim your land from these plant-damaging pests.
Hand Removal
It's a gross prospect if you're not a fan of insects, but …show more content…
Traps use the scent of geraniums or female beetle hormones to attract and detain the beetles so you can dispose of them. You can also make your own trap with a can of fruit cocktail. Open the fruit can and set it in the sun to ferment for a week. Set the fruit cocktail can in a bucket and fill the bucket with water until the liquid sits just below the rim of the can. Beetles will come for the fruit and get trapped when they fall in the water. If it rains on your cocktail simply start again with a fresh trap.
No matter what type of trap you choose, you need to set it at least 25 feet away from the plants you wish to protect. The goal is to draw the beetles away from the plants using more enticing bait. Unfortunately, however, beetle traps work by attracting beetles, which means they could increase your beetle population rather than decreasing it. Beetle traps can also cause disputes with neighbors, since placing a trap 25 feet away from your plants may mean placing it close to your neighbors garden. Beetle traps often become a double-edged sword, so use them only as a last
Hand Removal
It's a gross prospect if you're not a fan of insects, but …show more content…
Traps use the scent of geraniums or female beetle hormones to attract and detain the beetles so you can dispose of them. You can also make your own trap with a can of fruit cocktail. Open the fruit can and set it in the sun to ferment for a week. Set the fruit cocktail can in a bucket and fill the bucket with water until the liquid sits just below the rim of the can. Beetles will come for the fruit and get trapped when they fall in the water. If it rains on your cocktail simply start again with a fresh trap.
No matter what type of trap you choose, you need to set it at least 25 feet away from the plants you wish to protect. The goal is to draw the beetles away from the plants using more enticing bait. Unfortunately, however, beetle traps work by attracting beetles, which means they could increase your beetle population rather than decreasing it. Beetle traps can also cause disputes with neighbors, since placing a trap 25 feet away from your plants may mean placing it close to your neighbors garden. Beetle traps often become a double-edged sword, so use them only as a last