June 12, 2009
The Ugly Continues
Well, it seems I am not the only one in Alabama suffering the onslaught of Japanese beetles. My friend, Greg, who is also an Alabama Master Gardener, has found them on his roses and has begun his control efforts.
I also noticed for the first time near my office on the Auburn University campus that a Japanese beetle trap had been hung in a maple tree.
Also two friends and regular guest bloggers here at Backyard Wisdom, Danny Cain and Chuck Browne, wrote about them in their weekly Extension columns for their local papers. Both Chuck and Danny are seeing them in their respective counties. If Japanese beetles are present in both Lee County in east central Alabama and Walker County in the northwest part of the state, you can bet they are being seen almost statewide.
You can see Danny’s column here on the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Home Grounds blog. Near the end of his column, Danny has some interesting thoughts about using Japanese beetle traps. He and others agree that the traps which use pheromones to attract beetles seem to lure more beetles than they trap, leaving your vulnerable plants ready for attack from these untrapped beetles. Research at the University of Kentucky has confirmed this.
So for those of you battling Japanese beetles, find a control that works for you. Also if Japanese beetles are a yearly problem for you, do your research on how to control the white grub stage of the beetle. A good first step is to read this publication on Japanese beetle control written by one of Alabama Extension's regional home grounds agents, Shane Harris. In Alabama, you can get more information on this from your county Extension office or your regional Extension home grounds agent.
Posted by lawremc at June 12, 2009 09:01 AM | TrackBack