In all the years I have been growing roses, I have always dreaded the arrival of the Japanese Beetles. Just like clockwork, on July 4th, they would pop out of the ground and into the air just like popcorn in a hot air popper. The last few years, because of climate change, they have been arriving earlier. This year, I saw the first few beetles on June 23.

People in this part of the country are very used to the Japanese beetle, which made it into this country early in the 20th century. I believe they showed up in Connecticut in the 1930’s. They are a very destructive insect…as a white grub, they have a voracious appetite for the roots of our lawns, and as an adult, they skeletonize leaves and eat blossoms. The more ornate the flowers are, the better they like them and nothing is spared. Of course, their favorite flower is probably the rose, but I have seen them eating just about everything.

Beauty even in annoyance

Japanese beetles are really beautiful insects. Their hard shell wing covers are a coppery-metallic color. They shine in the sun, and the hotter it gets, the more active they are. In recent years, I’ve noticed that the Japanese beetles are not alone…there are other scarab beetles out there, too, and they all do the same damage. I’ve seen brownish ones with a mosaic pattern on their backs, ones with no patterns, and pure, shiny black ones. Some folks lump them all together and call them oriental beetles, but I call them hybrids. No matter. They are the enemy, and I am out to get them. Just for fun, I’ll throw the nocturnal brown rose chafer in with this bunch, too. I wish they would all go away!!

Pest control

There are several ways to undermine these pests. Probably, the best way is to lay down Milky Spore disease. I actually did this at my first house 35 years ago. The instructions said to drop a tablespoonful of the white powder on the ground every four square feet. I walked the whole yard (just a little city lot) and applied it as the directions stated. I put it down just before a rain storm so it would get washed into the soil.

Even though the yard was small, it took quite awhile to lay it down, and it’s pretty expensive, too. This is how it works: The grubs under the turf ingest the stuff while they are feeding on the grass roots, it moves through their system, turns their blood milky white, and they suffocate underground. The dead grubs’ bodies then explode and spread more milky spore around. It does a good job and it lasts for years. I should call my old neighbors and ask them the last time they saw a beetle…I’m sure the milky spore moved into their yards, as well.

Control Alternatives

Japanese beetle traps work great, but if you put one in your garden, you will be inviting every beetle within a goodly distance to come into your yard! If you are going to use them, put them as far away from your gardens as you can. Maybe your neighbors will put one up if they are not gardeners…might be worth asking, if you offer to dump it periodically…

I always keep a jar of soapy water in the front yard and onother in the back. If you watch these scarab beetles, they don’t seem very intelligent and they also don’t seem to be very good fliers. I have watched them beat themselves to death flying directly into the house, apparently trying to get over it! When they are feeding on your roses and you separate the petals to find them, they will almost always drop straight down in an attempt to escape. I hold my open jar of soapy water just under them, and they fall right in and quickly drown. Make sure you dump the beetle jar every few days. In hot weather, they make a pretty stinky beetle tea!

Beetle Spray

As rose gardeners, most of us make a choice to spray or not. I choose to spray my gardens every ten days because I love my roses. Plus, I don’t want them to get fungus diseases or be eaten to shreds by pesky insects. I have never found a pesticide that works for long on these beeltes, though. That is why I keep my beetle jars handy. I just can’t bring myself to crush them between my fingers as the crunch of the exoskeleton is pretty yucky! However, I know a lot of rosarians that get great satisfaction from squishing them…I’m glad that makes them happy!

We had a lovely rose event at my gardens yesterday for the CT Rose Society. Our friend, Alex, demonstrated his latest idea for getting rid of beetles. He asked me for an extention cord and I wondered if he was going to electrocute them! After lunch, he pulled out his handy-dandy computer keyboard vacuum and proceeded to suck the beetles right out from between the petals! It worked!! We all had a great laugh, and I was left with just one thought…

Our friend, Alex, is a genius!