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Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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Posted by
Ohiofem 6a Ohio (
My Page) on
Wed, Jun 20, 12 at 20:25
| I have been searching for information on how to deal with Japanese beetles with little luck. Last year I had dozens on my small container roses (florabunda and hybrid tea) doing disgusting things and destroying most of the blooms. Picking them off did nothing. I added a systemic with imidacloprid in it. It didn't seem to make a difference, and I have learned that I may have killed bees.
This year I have been impressed with how well spinosad seems to work on cucumber and potato beetles. If you spray late in the day when the bees are gone, it is supposed to be safe for bees once it dries. Does anyone have experience using spinosad or any other organic pest control on Japanese beetles? I have read that kaolin clay works, but I would hate to coat my few blooms in clay. What do you do? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| The only thing that works, AFAIK, is Merit spray - imidacloprid. It takes a direct hit, but it kills them for sure. A direct hit is easy to do if you're spraying instead of waiting for days to see if they eat enough for a systemic to kill them. I use Conserve (spinosad) all the time and it has little effect with JB's. I've sort of given up and tolerate them to a certain extent. That don't seem that bad this year. I read somewhere (here, years ago, I think) that if you kill them and let them drop, pheromones are released that attract even more. |
RE: RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| "They" don't seem that bad this year. Sheesh ... sure wish you could edit on this forum. ;-) |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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The last two summers were on a light side. I was hoping it can be a trend, some biological control stepping in or something along these lines.
Unfortunately it looks like this is going to be heavy year here. Plenaty of JBs, similar to years when I was posting horror pictures with hundreds JBs on one bloom.
Olga |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| Variation from year to year is affected by the amount of rainfall/irrigation in the previous late summer and fall. The baby grubs need moist soil. We had such severe droughts 2008-10 that the population still hasn't recovered--most people in my neighborhood don't irrigate, and it's a fur piece to the golf course. I haven't seen any so far, just a few of the paler, mottled asiatic beetles. But July is the peak month for JB. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| It's shaping up to be the worst year ever here; it's an infestation of mass proporations. They were here before June 1, so I'm hoping they will be gone before the end of July so the roses have a chance to recover before the third flush. We're experiencing a major drought here, so maybe they'll die off somewhat this year. I can only hope...it's a hot mess here. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| Has anyone tried making the roses "less tastey" by adding a silicate to the water? "004 Root Application of Potassium Silicate Reduce Feeding Damage to Sargent Crabapple Leaf Tissues by Adult Japanese Beetles" (see link below)
There also is a 2001 report by A. M. Shirzai and F. D. Miller in the following: "Shirazi A.M. and F.D. Miller 2001. Root application of potassium silicate reduce feeding damage to Sargent crabapple leaf tissues by adult Japanese beetles. p. 390. Poster Abstracts. In L.E. Datnoff et al., (eds.) Studies in Plant Science: Silicon in Agriculture Vol. 8, Elsevier Science. B.V., Amsterdam." |
Here is a link that might be useful: link for first article
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| Terry, unfortunately in my experience the earlier they show the more you will have and the longer they will last. It is a classical bell curve. The more JBs you have the taller and broader is your bell (early start -late finish). So places where infestation is moderate will have them for shorter period of time 3-4 weeks . The places with heavy infestations have them for 10+ weeks (which is usually a case here with the exception of last two summers) Olga |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| What Olga says is exactly right, but the center of the bell curve might be affected by the weather, that is, the extremely mild late winter and early spring this year might move the peak back to July 1. We'll see. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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Sure, I agree. Let's hope it is due to weather that Terry has them early this year.
Olga |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| We have them here early, so far light, but I hope this is a change in weather and not just the start of a massive infestation. Everything else has been 4-6 wks early since February and the althea/Rose of Sharon bloomed some places here beginning in early June--usually would be mid-July. I always watch those, since they draw some beetles off of my roses and their bloom usually is near the mid-point in my beetle season (which usually starts around July 4th and goes for 4-5 weeks). Nothing I've ever tried has kept them off of the flowers, other than picking by hand. In past years, I've tried reducing their success in leaving grubs in their lawn with grubicide. Since I guess imidacloprid is problematic for bees, is there a grubicide anyone on here recommends? We don't have the patience for milky spore. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| They don't seem terribly bad here in Decatur; I'm still finding them on most open blooms, and I have some lacy foliage, but it's certainly not as bad as years past. Then again we had drought conditions that sprang up around August last year and we've been in a mild to moderate drought ever since. I'm more exasperated trying to keep up with watering than I am killing JBs; that's a first. They did emerge early this year, along with everything else that's out of whack on our normal seasonal timeline. I have found a new favorite tool for bug hunting, though; vise-grip pliers. Dishwashing gloves were too slippery & when I'd squish the JBs they'd shoot out of my fingertips like a marble. The heavy, leather gardening gloves were better for squishing, but too cumbersome to pick JBs out of blooms without shattering the bloom. The pliers are perfect. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| They are definitely earlier this year in my yard as well. Probably due to what everyone else here has stated - the warmer weather in early March. I just deal with them by spraying them with soapy water very late in the evening. The main rose that they just LOVE is William Baffin. Must be the rugosa in him - at least that's what I think it is. I do find them occassionally on some of my other plants, but thankfully, not too many. I tried the soap/bucket technique, but they'd fly off in my face and I would let out a little girly scream - my husband would crack up. LOL. The soap in a spray bottle technique works so much better for me. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| bellarosa my hubby does the same to me then he would take his finger and lightly touch me saying woo its on you... dumb dumb head.... The JBs love my blushing knockout they leave my other flowers alone (knock on wood). They do 'attack' me an my daughter when we go outside so we are staying in side when its afternoon. There is more inside the blooms... |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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| Olga, I usually have JBs here for about 10 weeks. I've even had scragglers that manage to hang on until October. They have systemically stripped every blossom from 300 roses, ravaged the pear trees, tore up the coneflowers, and are menacing the Orienpet lilies. I just spoke to a friend who lives about 25 miles of me who has never had JBs and she said it's a nightmare at her farm. Our unusually mild winter, coupled with last year's abundant rainfall, has provided the perfect storm. I would be delighted if they would be gone by the end of July, but I'm skeptical at this point. |
RE: Spinosad for Japanese beetles?
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Terry, I certainly understand. When I say 10 weeks, I mean 10 weeks of heavy infectation. Not just few here and there. This can go until frost. We probably have similar pressure. They are here and I don't expect to have blooms on repeat flowering roses until later part of August/early September. This is one of the reasons I grow mostly once bloomers now. Somehow I don't care that much when JBs destroy leaves.
Olga |
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