Japanese Beetles ARE GREAT INDICATORS OF...

Summertime…. and the Japanese beetles are invading. We will look at how to control them, how to identify them. Are they an invasive or are they an indicator ?
Also their life cycle, some of the plants they feed on, the dangers of trapping them, the invasion process, their predators, the future of Japanese beetles and how they can be indicators.
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[cathyjohnson]

I have applied Milky Spore spring and fall, so far I have applied 3 applications, and this year, I have had very few Japanese beetles. Milky Spore is applied to the ground and focuses on eliminating the grub.

[TheStickinator]

I modified a trap to have them slide down a pvc pipe into a pan of water. The chickens just love them.

[jennifernebraska]

I allow my ducks into my garden when the beetles arrive. They clear the adults out. I winter chickens on my garden in the winter. This has helped keep numbers down.

[Quercusssss]

I work as a horticulturalist and I've noticed that certain cultivars of our ornamental plants are more targeted than others, but the plants who seem to suffer the most are those that have been exposed to stress from drought and are in very sunny, exposed conditions. Some of our sunpatiens have been obliterated but those in part-shade haven't been touched at all

[SmokinS]

I grew up in greater Boston and we had Japanese beetles as a kid. Late 70s/early80s. They've been around for much longer than 25 years. Thanks for the educational series Stefan!

[michelebleech]

I apply milky spore to the lawn and that has reduced by infestation by about 75%, leaving the remaining ones to be removed by hand. I’ll apply milky spore again in the fall and again twice next year and that is supposed to help for about 10 years. Of course some will visit from the neighbors’ yards, but will be significantly reduced.

[jackjohnson]

The Japanese beetle was accidentally introduced to the United States on the roots of nursery stock from Japan brought in for the 1916 World's Fair. Lacking any natural enemies which kept it in check in Japan, it quickly spread across the Eastern and Midwest states becoming a serious plant and agricultural pest. Thats slightly more than 25 years.

[Zethro]

I live in SW Missouri, in the middle of the Ozarks. I started a food forest here 2 years ago, and the Japanese Beetle likes my, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, Apple trees, Peach trees, plum trees, Cherry trees, hybrid fruit trees, hazelnuts, but the trees of mine that are getting eaten the most this year are my Almond Trees. I've gone out from one day to the next and half the tree will be completely eaten until I put out traps now I hardly see them and my traps fill up in about 1-2 weeks with a half gallon of beatles, however I have noticed if I place traps too close to a tree that tree gets covered with the beatles and if I place to many traps, Right now my food forest is about 3/4 of a square acre and if I place more than 2 traps I start seeing more of them I stead of less. There are 2 other beatles I have problems with but not sure of their names but the traps capture those too.

[katrinalikethehurricane]

The Japanese beetles in my area of NC, they devour my apple trees, plums, grapes, cherry, beans, okra, roses (wild and domesticated), Elderberry flowers...there's probably more, these are just off the top of my head.

[linbat]

I had a wistera in my garden and every year it was just devistated by JB. The only thing that worked for me was DE. I live in Michigan along Lake Michigan in fruit country. This past couple of years, I keep digging out the remnants of the wisteria and I haven't seen a JB in a couple of years. Thanks for all the info!

[jamesvandamme]

I spray them with neem oil and it makes the leaves quite unpalatable. Only on the leaves where they've been feeding and leaving their scent.

[Soliton]

Near sunset I would use my car vacuum to vacuum them up from my raspberry and grape plants, then once they were dead I would mix them with bird seed and put them out for the birds, after a few weeks the birds started to eat them off the grape plants. I also use chop and drop around all plants, this gives insect predators a home. I haven't seen a Japanese Beatle for 2 years now.

[veggiemikeellis]

I noticed they like Marigolds and I found they are a good way to use as a good distraction for the Japanese beetles in my garden

[coaxihuitl]

The Tiphia wasps and Tachinid flies that parasitize the beetles can be attracted with plants that have easy to access nectaries such as those found in wild carrot, other Apiaceae/Umbelliferae, asters etc. If the plant attracts hover flies or other parasitoid wasps it will probably attract these parasitoids as well.

[lisak]

I noticed how the Japanese beetles have been equally attractive to eating the stinging nettles growing among my raspberry plants. I generally pull many nettles out but don't worry about getting them all as long as I can reach the berries without getting brushed by the nettles. What I noticed, is that the raspberry plants where the nettles remain are less bothered by the beetles, but the nettles are being devored by the beetles. Experimenting to see if nettles will work as a trap crop for now.

[lorelynleisure]

They love the raspberries and Rose of Sharon shrubs I have, but also the Linden Tree, now that that is 20 plus feet tall I don't see as many everywhere else. I can just ignore them now and I have noticed some of the birds go after them. Used to be an overwhelming problem!

[jimgarofalo]

You left out one of the biggest and most effective predators against the beetles - Blue Jays. They love them!! I started seeing japanese beetles on my bean plants, and within a few days, a flock of blue jays showed up. They picked the beans clean of any further beetle infestation.

[JamesJones-gjii]

They like my apple and peach trees. My raspberries, grapes, blackberry, strawberries. They also go after my French merigolds and corn.

It’s been a fun month of hand picking lol

[Kat-Knows]

Definitely diversify in ur gardening plants. i so agree. Thank u for this video.

[marynunn]

Appreciate the John Kempf plant health pyramid reference. Presence of pests are indicator that you’re not yet growing a healthy plant. Raise the plant sap brix level above 14 and no more pests or diseases. How do I do that? Address the missing (or excess) nutrients and then increase your poor/low soil biology issue using the 6 soil health principles.