Japanese beetles are a nuisance in gardens and landscapes. The adult beetles food on the flowers of certain plants and crops like soybeans, corn, fruits, and vegetables, leaving behind skeletonized leaves and damaged flowers. Some insects may, though, kill Japanese beetles by eating them. They are no other than spiders, ground beetles, birds, predatory stink bugs, etc.
Contact Pest Control in Ellicott City Maryland to get rid of them!
How to get rid of Japanese beetles?
1. Hand-pick them
Hand-pick the beetles and knock them in detergent-added water. Wear gloves to eliminate the creepiness of handling beetles. The best time to gather beetles is 7 p.m. You can also collect them at other times of the day to reduce feeding damage, but you will mostly catch them in the early morning.
2. Beetle trap
There is a lot of debate that beetle traps bring more beetles to your yard than are already there. Experts say that traps are not a good choice because they catch only 75 percent of the beetles, and the rest 25 percent attack your prize plants. If you buy traps from the store, you will get desired results by setting them early in the season so that they are trapped before laying eggs. Keep the trap 50 feet away from the plants. Clear the trap daily. Feed the dead beetles to the pond fish or pet poultry.
3. Repel beetles
Dead beetle’s smell can actually act as a repellent to other beetles. You can keep the dead beetles near desirable plants.
4. Use Pesticides
Organic pesticides prepared from neem are effective against adult beetles. Avoid synthetic pesticides as the roots of the plant can take up the chemical from the soil.
5. Use a trap crop
Plants like African marigold, knotweed, and evening primrose are favorites of Japanese beetles. You can use these plants to lure beetles to one place. You can hand-pick or use a bug vacuum to collect the beetles.
6. Welcome predators
You can easily attract birds to your garden. Provide them shelter, food, and water, and they will rally to your yard. Birds like robins, cardinals, and catbirds eat beetles. Crows and starlings prefer the grubs. Tachinid flies are observed when the beetle numbers are high. They lay their eggs on the adult beetle’s head. Once the egg hatches, the larvae feed on the beetle and kill it.
7. Keep your lawn dry
Japanese beetles lay eggs on well-watered turf. It is because the eggs need moisture to grow. Reduce your lawn attractiveness by keeping it dry roughly from June to late July.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
