A posse of Japanese beetles

[applestar]

Sound like an excellent plan! Hope that will work for you.

[rainbowgardener]

If they came later, then their life cycle will be done a bit later, but, yes, when the adults emerge, I think they only live for about 6 wks or so, mate, lay eggs in the soil and die.

[Mhasan]

Yes, I think they came later this year. Thanks.

[applestar]

I saw a bunch of small black wasps on the carrot flowers today -- I didn't have my phone with me to take pics so can't be sure if they were the fall tiphias or some other black wasps....

[DDMcKenna]

...Japanese Beetle:
The Continuing Struggle to Achieve Successful Biological Control

Thank you, just got done reading that. That sure explains a lot. I think I remember them when I was a kid up there. I think it's too hot for them here. But we still have our share of bugs.

I really appreciate you providing the link

[applestar]

You are welcome. I'm learning a lot from there too.

The other Garden Patrol parasite of Japanese Beetles, also introduced, is a Tachinid fly:

I. aldrichi overwinters in a puparium within the body of the dead host in the soil. The adult flies appear from mid-June to mid-July in New Jersey and feed on aphid honeydew and nectar. The females attach an egg on the thorax of newly emerged beetles. Each female can deposit up to 100 eggs over a 2 week period. The egg hatches in 24 hours and the maggot burrows into the body cavity of the beetle to feed internally. The larvae kill the beetles in about 5-6 days (compared to the 4-6 week life span of a non-parasitized adult), during which time the beetles bury themselves in the ground.

https://www.entomology.wisc.edu/mbcn/land508.html#land2

...it's too late in the season now, but I'm going to look for JBs with eggs on their heads next early summer!
Photos of Japanese Beetles that have been oviposited with eggs of Istocheta aldrichi - Winsome Fly - BugGuide.Net
https://bugguide.net/node/view/85196

...ha... Looking at the photos again, strictly speaking, the eggs are not on their heads but on their thoraxes (middle segment between head and abdomen) as described in the article.

[Mhasan]

I saw some new bugs on my pansies - they look a bit orange-black. Could these be the wasps?
They don't look like typical wasps.
Will try to get a picture.

[tomc]

Japan beetles don't try very hard to escape, which is a good thing. they did top and eat out one bloom or rugosa rose, before moving on to pole beans.

[rainbowgardener]

I liked the article! Particularly this: 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

I don't have poultry, but grackles, starlings, cardinals and catbirds are in my yard.

Also note the adult tachnid fly feeds on honeydew from aphids. Another good reason not to try to eliminate all the aphids. Besides the tachnids, I'm starting to think the honeydew is an important element in the food chain, lots of bees and wasps like it.

[Mhasan]

Hi, I'm still waiting for the Japanese beetles to leave. They don't seem to be ending. I'm still drowning 20 - 30 per day. And these are just the ones I caught ! Now they've moved on from the peach tree leaves to the fruit.

Can you remind me which are the trap plants I should get and when to plant them?

Thanks.

[rainbowgardener]

I doubt trying to plant a trap plant now will do you much good for this season, but you could start now to get a jump on next year. I think grape vine or wild grape vine is the best trap crop for them, but four o'clocks , larkspur, castor bean, borage, marigolds, light colored zinnias are also reputed to be good trap crops for them. Note that several of those are toxic plants, not so good if you have a dog or toddler that eats plants.

Encouraging birds to your garden is also a good thing for pest control generally.

[Mhasan]

Thanks - I have zinnias that finally bloomed, but the Japanese beetles prefer my red roses. I've got marigolds too, yellow and orange, but haven't seen any beetles on them. They seem to go for the tall flowers - my red rose is 4-5 feet high and my scarlett hisbiscus is about 4 feet. My mom offered me her Rose of Sharon and I am glad I did not take it. All the Rose of Sharon trees in my neighbourhood are heavily infested with Japanese Beetles.

[RogueRose]

Thankfully I haven't had any in my garden ::knock on wood:: but when I go riding my horse in "the wilds" (as wild as NJ can get) they are devastating a lot of vegetation. It's real sad to see how they are completely eating everything....although a lot of is russian olive which can go away. Oh and also - it sucks when you have big curly hair and they get CAUGHT IN YOUR HAIR!!!!

[valley]

Could it be that some kind person is picking them off plants into a paper cup and driving them away from their property to release them where they will be safe?

I wonder how the chickens would like them.

Richard

[Lindsaylew82]

4 o'clocks really help! They like to eat them a lot, but they don't get very far because they're toxic!

[Mhasan]

OK, let's say I plant 4 o'clocks. Will they stay off my other flowers, or will I just be attracting more Japanese beetles to my frontyard and backyard?

[Lindsaylew82]

They prefer them to roses and sunflowers, all I can tell you. They eat it and the die.