Click Here for Giveaways & Coupon Codes
Wanted Dead or Alive. On Second Thought, Let's Just Say "Dead".
Few things get me as worked up as spotting more Japanese beetles in my yard! I’ve lost one tree and have two or three more in my yard that are on their way out due to these invasive pests, not to mention the almost certain demise of my favorite rosebush. Sadly, I’ve had such a busy summer that my usual fight against the beetle has been set aside, leaving certain plants (even my petunias!) up for grabs. So it’s time to roll up my sleeves and see what can be done for the poor little Betty Boop rosebush. She’s really taken a beating this year. Time to go back to getting rid of those nasty Japanese beetles, and as naturally as possible.
Time to go back to some of the remedies I used with some success last year. The first is a homemade insecticidal soap. This is a simple mixture of a couple squirts dish soap, a glop of cooking oil (any variety), and then a teaspoon or two dried ground cayenne pepper. Spray that on the plants and you’re good to go. You’ll probably have to reapply after a hard rain, but it is rather satisfying watching those beetles drop off the plants. I guess they’re not into Cajun spices.
One trick that I learned about from the site Get Rid of it All, will actually take a few years to fully take effect is milky spore. With milky spore, you apply it to the grass to kill the Japanese Beetle grubs. Although it apparently does start to work the first year, it takes some time because milky spore is a bacteria. I’m not totally convinced of this method because it does attack many different insects, not just Japanese beetles. And no matter what you think of bugs, we do need certain ones around. No bugs, no birds to eat them, etc. My other concern is that, unless all your neighbors go hog wild with the milky spore too, neighboring beetles can drop by your house anyway.
There is something I learned from Get Rid of it All that I’d love to try: neem. Apparently Japanese beetles can’t stand the stuff, so I’m considering adding a few drops of neem oil to the spray I mentioned earlier.
No matter what remedy you decide to try, chemical-laden insecticides should always be a last resort. There are countless possible solutions for getting rid of Japanese beetles as naturally as possible, and I’ll continue to look for more ways, testing them out as I go. In the meantime, feel free to check out my other remedies I’ve written about in the past. And please join in on the comments! It’s been great hearing from you all about which ones worked for you and which didn’t. My other articles are: How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles Naturally, How to Make Your Own Japanese Beetle Trap, The Continuing Story of Natural Remedies for Japanese Beetles, and More Tips on How to Get Rid of Japanese Beetles Naturally. Any remedies of your own you like? Email me at themommyspot (at) gmail (dot) com!
