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Just found a bunch in my back yard up in Bedford. And they were doing things to make more bunches. Out with the Sevin... harsh but these things destroy my yard! They seem like clockwork for start of June...
On a walk through our neighborhood yesterday evening, I saw one neighbor who hand hung a bug bag from his cherry tree. Might as well hang out an "open for lunch" sign.
Those bug bags are worthless in combating Japanese beetles, although they can help a little if you can convince your neighbors to put them in their yards.
Funny - both this year and last year mine arrived on the EXACT same date, May 29th. Rude to show up early, but I was ready for them so they did not stay long. I sprayed a few nights ago and so far no activity. They have in the past made lace of my crepe myrtles, roses (leaves AND flower petals) and cherry trees.
One of the nurserymen at the Farmer's Market said it was going to be a tough battle with them this year and they had seen them in early May!
He also said not to waste your $ on the already diluted Sevin, but buy the concentrate and mix it 2 TB per gallon in a sprayer and get the entire plant. Last year I used the pre-mix and it seemed I was out there every week fighting the new arrivals. This year I had to get on a ladder to reach the top of my largest crepe myrtle... don't want to give them anything to start on.
Word for the Japanese Beetle (Junebug) newbies - DO NOT use the baits or traps as all they do is draw them into your yard.
They sure are pretty, but a few of those bad boys can do some serious munching damage... get out today and spray!
On a walk through our neighborhood yesterday evening, I saw one neighbor who hand hung a bug bag from his cherry tree. Might as well hang out an "open for lunch" sign.
Those bug bags are worthless in combating Japanese beetles, although they can help a little if you can convince your neighbors to put them in their yards.
Bug bags collect and kill a lot of bugs, in my experience.
The bug bags are good if you are already swarmed as they will direct them from your trees and plants to the bags. But as pointed out they will attract more bugs than you would without.
I use the sevin mix with a big pump sprayer! I wish something more subtle would work. I have started applying milky spores but that takes a couple of years at least to catch on and I still will get "drift" from neighbours.
These things have ruined my plants in the past, they are the most ferocious eaters!!!
Bug bags collect and kill a lot of bugs, in my experience.
True, but as the others mentioned, the reason you are seeing succesful trappings is that you are drawing more of them to your yard than would normally arrive on their own. Apparently the scent of other JBs attract them, and that is the premise of the bait bags. IF you have to use them put them FAR away from any plants that would normally be affected.
It is better to treat your plants so as to REPEL them. The bait bags draw them to your yard. Once a few of them start in their scent draws more and soon you have a full blown infestation and no greenery.
Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub Insect Control. Too late for you to apply this year, but it always worked for us. It's systemic. You apply it to the roots, water it in, and it gets transported to the leaves. ONCE a year application. Fall is probably best, but very early spring might give it enough chance to be translocated up smaller trees.
Our lawn in IL had all the *** beetles favorite things: grapes, birches, wisteria, roses. I wouldn't let hubby use the product on the grapes because we ate them (I think its labeled for many fruit trees, though), but we saved our birches and wisteria each year from defoliation. The beetles start to eat the leaves but then die (we could sit on our wisteria-covered patio and hear the bugs dropping dead on the concrete!), and don't leave as much damage.
I told hubby we aren't planting "beetle food" in our new yard here...........but what DON'T they eat???
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