How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles

How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles

If Japanese Beetles are devouring your roses and fruit trees you are probably asking yourself, "How do you get rid of Japanese Beetles?" ​

I don't profess to be an expert in ridding the yard and garden of Japanese Beetles, but I can offer you my experiences with trying to rid my yard and garden of Japanese Beetles. Here's what I've done to get rid of Japanese Beetles.

We have been overrun with Japanese Beetles this year. There are usually a few on my rose bushes and I handpick them and drop them in soapy water to keep them under control. But this year the Japanese Beetles descended like a plague.

It all began with some leaf damage.  I wasn't overly concerned as it was only a few leaves and I could easily keep up with hand picking them.

Finding them devouring the flowers concerned me more, but I continued the daily ritual of hand picking them and dropping them in soapy water. 

Then, they attacked my plum trees. On a sunny afternoon hundreds (if not thousands) of them were swarming the canopy of the tree.

Do Japanese Beetle traps work?

I decided to try a Japanese Beetle Trap. Japanese Beetle Traps work by attracting Beetle with lure. The lure contains both floral scents and phermones to attarct the beetles. The beetles fall into the bag and cannot get back out.

Japanese Beetle traps don't pose a risk to other insects, are not toxic to humans and pets, and don't contaminate the environment.  It seemed like the ideal solution for my Japanese Beetle problem,

I hung the bag halfway between my fruit trees and my rose bushes with at least 20 feet between the trap and the trees and roses.

I was delighted to see them swarm the trap and drop into the bag. I thought the problem was solved. But I soon learned the trap could not handle the Japanese Beetle infestation I was facing.

Does Bonide Fruit Tree Spray kill Japanese Beetles?

I gave up and sprayed the fruit trees and rose bushes with Bonide Fruit Tree Spray. I didn't want to spray my roses because it will kill off bees and other flying insects, too.

​But the way I see it I had two choices. Spray them and risk killing off other beneficial insects or let the Japanese Beetles devour my fruit trees and rose bushes.

---

Update: It has been two days since I sprayed the fruit trees and roses. The Japanese Beetles are still devouring my rose bushes, but there are fewer on the fruit trees. I took the Japanese Beetle Trap with the lure down and that seems to be helping, too.

From what I have read, the lure in the trap can attract Japanese Beetles from miles away. I decided I already had enough beetles to contend with and didn't need to lure them in from across the countryside.

If you decide to try a Japanese Beetle Trap to control the Japanese Beetles in your yard or garden, be aware that you may attract more beetles to you yard!

Sevin Concentrate Wins Battle With Japanese Beetles

After days (weeks?) of battling Japanese Beetles with little success, I decided to give Sevin Concentrate a try.

It worked like a charm. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Here's how I applied it with my Ortho Hose End Sprayer.

1. Pour the concentrate in the hose end sprayer bottle.
2. Set the dial to 4 ounces per gallon.
3. Attach it to the hose.
4. Use the spray setting to wet the foliage on the affected trees/shrubs.

That's it! Within a few hours all the Japanese Beetles were gone.

Always follow manufacturere's directions and avoid contact with the spray. If you are spraying an area over your head, stand back as far as possible and avoid looking directly up to avoid getting droplets on you face.

I've found the safest application for me is to take a shower immediately after spraying and to put my garden clothes directly in the wash. If you are spraying a small bush or shrub, this may not be necessary, but I found it difficult to spray fruit trees without getting some residue on me and my clothes.