Japanese Beetle
Control Methods
David Shetlar along with Ohio State University put out information on the ways to control the Japanese beetle for both the adult and larval stages. One way they suggest controlling the population is by catching them early on and destroying the ones you find so that they do not attract additional beetles through pheromones. This may work but it could be a lot of work with very few results. Another way to get rid of them is by trapping them but most other educational and governmental source I found said that this will more like attract more beetles to the area thus defeating the purpose (however you could put one in at the guys house down the street that you don't like very much and it will actually draw them away from your house). Trapping is suggest more for large scale operations like golf courses when they are already inundated by them (2001).
Another suggested control for adults is by spraying an insecticide. Unfortunatly all the ones that work on the Japanese beetle are very bad for other organisms like birds, bees, and fish. The University of Minnesota put out a good list discussing the dangers of each. The last, and in my opinion one of the best ways to control the Japanese beetle, is to plant plants that are non attractive. These include the boxelder, the common lilac, the red maple, the red oak, columbine, and poppies. There is a great list at the same website I linked earlier and at the Ohio State University (Shetlar, 2001).
To kill the Japanese beetle grubs, one of the ways suggested is to use insecticides which again are not good for other animals in the area. A way that is much more environmentally friendly is to use entomopathogenic nematodes. These nematodes can have a 92% to 100% effectiveness if they are sprayed at a rate of 2.5 billion per hectare (Nematode Information, 2008). Another great natural way to kill the grubs is to use Milky spore bacteria (Bacillus popilliae). This is way to get rid of them without harming other animals. The large problem with using the Milky spore bacteria is that it takes about 2 to 3 years to work and it is suggested that you do not use any insecticidal control during that time (Shetlar, 2001).
Another suggested control for adults is by spraying an insecticide. Unfortunatly all the ones that work on the Japanese beetle are very bad for other organisms like birds, bees, and fish. The University of Minnesota put out a good list discussing the dangers of each. The last, and in my opinion one of the best ways to control the Japanese beetle, is to plant plants that are non attractive. These include the boxelder, the common lilac, the red maple, the red oak, columbine, and poppies. There is a great list at the same website I linked earlier and at the Ohio State University (Shetlar, 2001).
To kill the Japanese beetle grubs, one of the ways suggested is to use insecticides which again are not good for other animals in the area. A way that is much more environmentally friendly is to use entomopathogenic nematodes. These nematodes can have a 92% to 100% effectiveness if they are sprayed at a rate of 2.5 billion per hectare (Nematode Information, 2008). Another great natural way to kill the grubs is to use Milky spore bacteria (Bacillus popilliae). This is way to get rid of them without harming other animals. The large problem with using the Milky spore bacteria is that it takes about 2 to 3 years to work and it is suggested that you do not use any insecticidal control during that time (Shetlar, 2001).
