Beetle damage on a rose leaf.
Q. “How can I rid my rose garden of Japanese beetles?”
A. We are very fortunate in this area not to have severe infestations of Japanese beetles. The best way to deal with them is prevention and hand picking.
If you begin to see beetles on your roses (usually in early summer), hand pick them and either squish them or drop them into a bucket of soapy water where they will drown. Spraying them is not recommended. To kill adult beetles it is necessary to use an insecticide meant for chewing insects, such as Sevin. Spraying will destroy the beetles, but will also destroy beneficial insects which can lead to a severe outbreak of spider mites and other pests. Beetles will continue to enter your garden so spraying will have to be repeated about every two weeks until beetle season is over. Traps are also not recommended as they will attract beetles from surrounding areas as well as your own garden.
Beetle grubs will be found in your turf areas. You can kill the grubs by treating your lawn with milky spore disease (organic) or Merit and other chemical insecticides. This is most effective when your neighbors also treat their yards.
- Betsy Latta
A. We are very fortunate in this area not to have severe infestations of Japanese beetles. The best way to deal with them is prevention and hand picking.
If you begin to see beetles on your roses (usually in early summer), hand pick them and either squish them or drop them into a bucket of soapy water where they will drown. Spraying them is not recommended. To kill adult beetles it is necessary to use an insecticide meant for chewing insects, such as Sevin. Spraying will destroy the beetles, but will also destroy beneficial insects which can lead to a severe outbreak of spider mites and other pests. Beetles will continue to enter your garden so spraying will have to be repeated about every two weeks until beetle season is over. Traps are also not recommended as they will attract beetles from surrounding areas as well as your own garden.
Beetle grubs will be found in your turf areas. You can kill the grubs by treating your lawn with milky spore disease (organic) or Merit and other chemical insecticides. This is most effective when your neighbors also treat their yards.
- Betsy Latta
