Itilton, I'm not sure your netting will keep out Japanese beetles. Don't you spray? I'd love to know where you get this netting and would also like to see a picture of it. OR. . . is there a website I can go to, to see it? Very interested, Mrs. G

I thought I'd posted the link.

Sprays don't work. I'm convinced of this. I spent all spring spraying my plums and the PCs got just about every one of them.

So I probably won't need any net to protect the fruit I no longer have, but the JPs can defoliate a plum or cherry.

Here is a link that might be useful: netting

tilton-

What did you spray for PC? I used permethrin this year and had "ok" success. I thought I had them in the bag, and then the other day I took a good look and I found at least a dozen with PC marks, but only one on each fruit vs 10 or more like normal. The PC SMOKED my apples. I doubt there is a clean apple out there. That spray must have pushed them hard to the apples. The apples were never sprayed. For netting, I have no idea. JB are a pain in the butt, although I see very few, i get their distant cousins which are our right now, the chafer beetles which do the same amount of damage (chew on leaves and fruit). They are very early this year. About 10 days before normal. Now I get to fight with them for the next 2 weeks. I may put down another spray (my 3rd if I do). Growing fruit here is a pain in the rear, especially when I have so many trees and I hate to use pesticides (now i can't, because the flowers are starting to bloom and my trees are surrounded).

Hmm. The netting looks heavy and I prefer the regular bird netting sold by Ross. As for spray I use Monterey Fungi Fighter, Captan, Triazicide and Immunox. It seems to be working for me. I am not in a 'fruit' growing center, so I might be lucky! A lot more netting goes on tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it all goes. Triaz. should really kill your JB too! Still early for them here in Newport, RI, that said since I've used "Milky Spore" for the last three years on my lawns. Not a grub in sight. Also the use of Triaz. does drip from the trees to the lawn, thus, I have no grubs. Mrs. G

I did five sprays of Triazicide this spring, and it might as well have been milkshakes as far as saving the plums. Which were one of my few fruits totally unaffected by the frosts, along with the not-really-white cherry, which I didn't spray so often and is virtually untouched.

The PCs came late, I sprayed early, because the last time I waited until they were SUPPOSED to be there, they already were.

It's a good thing I like cherries better than plums.

Once is definitely not Done for you! I don't get it. You might try Imidan. Stronger than Triaz. and has more of a lasting effect. Do you use a 'respirator' mask? Mrs. G

Use something else... There are many different pyrethroids to chose from or just screw it and move to a neonicotinoid or *cringe* and organophosphate...although to be honest, if I had my own dedicated, fenced in orchard area, with no kids around...i would use Phosmet and wipe out everything. Put on a gas mask and full biohazard suit and go to town. Just make sure no pregnant women are in the area... Right now I'm trying to sneak through with 2 permethrin sprays...and that looks like it worked great on the apricots (they all look good) and the Superior plum looks great, but the Alderman still got knocked hard and the unsprayed apples look horrible, but the unsprayed peaches (so far) look fine (for some reason PC doesn't seem to bother peaches that much).

Too late for this year, but the JBs are more interested in foliage than fruit.

One thing I've noticed with chafers is that once they do find a fruit and start chewing, they send in the cavalry..but like I mentioned, I don't have many JB's yet.

I have wondered about this aproach to insect control also. I dont think that 1/4 would work but I wonder if you built a structure around a small tree and surrounded the whole thing with something like tulle fabric or screendoor fabric if that would keep out bugs I think it would. Maybe too much hastle but it is something I have wondered about.

Scape

If I had it to do over again, I would have built a high tunnel, covered it in screening, and planted all dwarf trees inside.