Japanese Beetle traps

[kitty-lover]

We are having a very bad year here in central Illinois with the Japanese Beetle. Would'nt it be great if there was a homemade solution you could put in a milk jug to catch these guys!! Anyone have a recipe?????

[Newt]

Hi Kitty lover,

I don't have a recipe for that one, but Neem oil does help with the adults. Of course treating in the fall for the grubs will help next year.
https://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/kb/japanese-beetle-control.html

Newt

[kitty-lover]

Hi Newt,
I was thinking of the homemade kind of trap where you mix your own concoction of household products and put in jugs.
Kitty Lover

[grandpasrose]

Hi Kitty-lover! Really after those Japanese Beetles aren't you?!?
I have seen a homemade Japanese Beetle Trap, but cannot state it's success, as I have never used it. You start by cutting the neck off a one gallon plastic jug, and fill it 1/3 full with a fermenting mixture of water, sugar, crushed fruit, and yeast (like a mush).
Strain out the beetles when trapped and dispose of them, and reuse the mixture.
You should probably use several of these, and also consider planting plants that Japanese Beetles are attracted to away from where they are attacking, with the traps near that attracting plant. An example of a plant that Japanese Beetles are attracted to is Borage.
Remember though, that this is only eliminating the beetle, and not the larvae, that live and feed on the roots of your grass.
I hope this helps, and you conquer the beast!!
Let us know how it works out.

Val

[kitty-lover]

Thanks for your help! I have used this for my raspberries and had great luck with the picnic bugs and a( few beetles)
S. Zimmerman

[grandpasrose]

So it didn't work for the Japanese Beetles?

Val

[kitty-lover]

Val,
No, I guess I would say it did'nt. But, really well for the picnic bugs!
Kitty-lover

[grandpasrose]

Well then, I guess it's back to the drawing board! I'll keep looking for you and get back to you!

Val

[Newt]

I tried a google search with the words:
Japanese beetle attractant + made
and everything I'm finding says that the attractants get you more beetles and really don't help unless you live in an isolated area. All of the sites I've read only talk about the commercially available attractants. [url=https://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ent/ent5/ent5.htm]Here's the website[/url].


Oh my goodness, I just discovered why I'm not having much trouble with Japanese beetles this year. I have a nesting pair of catbirds. Here's an interesting read from this site with more info.
https://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/fea508.html

Vertebrate Predators. Birds such as grackles, meadowlarks, starlings, cardinals, and catbirds have been reported as significant predators of JB adults. In addition, pheasants, chickens, ducks, geese, and guineas readily feed on the beetles. Starlings, grackles, crows, and gulls also devour large numbers of JB larvae. The damage to turf by foraging crows can be more serious than that caused by the JB larvae themselves. A similar situation exists with skunks, racoons, and moles as predators. They can remove large numbers of grubs from the field, but the damage they inflict to the grass is often an unacceptable tradeoff for turf managers. Although toads, shrews, and mice may feed on JB adults or larvae, they have not been noted as an important factor in beetle control.

Also at that site at the bottom of the page:

Although home-owners are usually very pleased with the numbers of beetles which can be captured in these traps, plants in the immediate area of traps can sustain increased damage from beetles before they are captured, and even removing millions of beetles probably doesn't significantly reduce populations.

Newt

[kitty-lover]

Newt,
Thanks for all your help. But, I think I'm going to try the milkyspore
if it's not too expensive!

Kitty-Lover

[Newt]

Kitty lover, you are so very welcome. I think the milky spore will be helpful but you might also find this helpful.
https://www.nysipm.cornell.edu/publications/grubs/

Newt

[MATT96]

I HAVE ONE THAT IS A BUCKET WITH A LID THAT HAS A HOLE cut in FOR A PBC PIPE. i have it in so its sospended halfway from the bottom of the bucket. I hung a bug bag with the bottom cut of and taped it to the top of the pbc pipe. the beatles just fall in and cant get out it works. any questions

[JoeThumb]

The Japanese Beatle traps do trap the pesky beetles; however keep in mind that the traps will draw them into your yard, where they will commence to lay their eggs. The eggs are what destroy your yard!

There are a couple of methods you can use to repel the beetles once they arrive, Diatomaceous Earth and Cedar Oil.

Whatever you do, you will want to do an application of Milky Spore. It will not stop the beetles from flying onto you property but it will kill the eggs that are laid in your yard. This will help stop the cycle from continuing.