Japanese beetles are emerging in St Louis

I don't know if anyone else in the area has seen any yet, but I found two of these bugs yesterday. The kids and I are going out in a few minutes to hunt for some and drown them.

One question I do have is about neem oil products. I have a Bonide Tomato and Vegetable 3 in one spray that has .9% neem oil. It says it protects against lots of pests, including japanese beetles. Does neem oil wash off after it rains? How often can you apply it.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, I can't help on the Neem. Never tried it.

On the J beetles, carry a jar of soapy water with you in the garden and when you see a beetle, place the jar beneath the branch, leaf or whatever its on, and flick the beetle. It will automatically drop down before it flies off and if your jar is at the ready beneath it, just lift the jar a bit and voila, the bug is history.

Ours will be emerging in the next week or so. Its usually July when we are inundated with the horrors. They love my roses and the peas and the dwarf cherry tree best.

When I was a kid, we would catch them and tie string to one of their legs and watch them fly in circles!

Nasty greedy little creatures. My neighbor puts out those traps for them and to be fair, he catches a crazy amount in them but he does not also seem to realize that he also attracts FAR more to our properties than we would normally see. They play absolute havoc on my roses, crepe myrtles and just about everything else. They LOVE my plum trees and some Thuja green giants I have for a privacy screen. Sadly they also eat Blueberry bushes and love my pole beans. GRRRR.....

I'm not putting this in the venting thread though as I am winning the battle. I have a big glass honey jar that is filled with soapy water and they are so easy to catch in the morning when they are sluggish. QB is dead right. They drop for a second or two before they fly and so are easy to catch any time of day.

Sometimes I catch a whole bunch in the middle or some kind of mass orgy (hope you don't mind the crass term) but it is totally true and no other way to explain it really. Oh well, at least they went out on a high...huh

I do then spray with neem. It acts as a anti-feeding agent. It does not really kill them, despite the claims, but it does keep them away or down to a bare minimum that won't devastate the crop.

Happy hunting !!!!!

Yep we have a few on the pole beans again this year but they seem to really like a weed growing on my neighbors fence. I am hoping they stay over there and leave me alone this year. I used the soapy water last year every morning, when I got home from work, and again before the sun set. It seemed to work as long as I was diligent in checking my plants.

Denese wrote:When I was a kid, we would catch them and tie string to one of their legs and watch them fly in circles!

Me too!

Kay, broadcasting from Vienna

I saw my first one tonight!! *grrrrrrr*

Oh my goodness, hunting down Japanese beetles morning, noon, and night??

First aphids, now this, what will the next invasion be? Calgon take me away . . . *giggle*

This afternoon I was checking the garden for any unwelcome guests. I had an orange pail sitting on top of the cooler that we use for the dehumidifier water we recycle to the garden. I looked to see how much rain had accumulated in it and saw 3 japanese beetles flailing around in the water, unable to get out. I didn't find any on the plants, just these three. I'll check again tomorrow morning, but perhaps more will get stuck in the accidental trap.