Grubs are now the sleeping giant. They have burrowed deep ready to emerge in approximately 4-6 weeks from now.
In April, they rise from the winter rest and begin feeding on your lawn’s roots.
May to June is the time the grubs change to pupae then emerge from the ground as adult Japanese beetles.
The Japanese beetle is probably the most devastating pest of urban landscape plants in the eastern United States. Japanese beetles were first found in the USA in 1916, after being accidentally introduced into our own backyard, New Jersey. Until that time, this insect was known to occur only in Japan where it is not a major pest.
Japanese beetles feed on about 300 species of plants, devouring leaves, flowers, and overripe or wounded fruit.
Egg laying begins soon after the adults emerge from the ground and mate. Females leave plants in the afternoon, burrow 2 to 3 inches into the soil in a suitable area, and lay their eggs--a total of 40 to 60 during their life. The developing beetles spend the next 10 months in the soil as white grubs. The grubs grow quickly and by late August are almost full-sized (about 1 inch long). Grubs feed on the roots of turf grasses and vegetable seedlings, doing best in good quality turf in home lawns, golf courses, parks, and cemeteries. However, they can survive in almost any soil in which plants can live.
Control
From a management standpoint, it is important to recognize that both the adults and grubs can cause damage. Moreover, since Japanese beetle adults are capable of flying in from other areas, controlling one life stage will not preclude potential problems with the other. Options for protecting trees, shrubs, and flowers from adult Japanese beetles are presented below. Control of the grub stage requires properly timed applications of a soil insecticide to infested turf.
Plant Selection
Careful selection of plant species when replacing or adding to your landscape is the key to avoiding annual battles with Japanese beetles. Some species and cultivars are highly preferred by the adults and should be avoided where the beetle is abundant. Plants that are especially prone to damage include roses, grapes, lindens, sassafras, Norway maple, Japanese maple, purple-leaf plum, and others. Many varieties of flowering crabapples are also severely attacked by the beetles, although some cultivars are resistant.
Fortunately, many common trees and shrubs are much less attractive to Japanese beetles. These differences in susceptibility should be considered when selecting plant species and cultivars for use in Japanese beetle-infested areas.
Japanese beetles are also fond of certain weeds and non-cultivated plants such as bracken, elder, multiflora rose, Indian mallow, poison ivy, smartweed, and wild grape. Elimination of these plants whenever practical destroys these continuous sources of infestation.
Although plant selection is important, other approaches must obviously be used to protect susceptible plants that are already established in landscapes.
Physical Removal and Exclusion
Removing beetles by hand may provide adequate protection for small plantings, especially when beetle numbers are low. The presence of beetles on a plant attracts more beetles. Thus, by not allowing beetles to accumulate, plants will be less attractive to other beetles.
One of the easiest ways to remove Japanese beetles from small plants is to shake them off early in the morning when the insects are sluggish. The beetles may be killed by shaking them into a bucket of soapy water. Highly valued plants such as roses can be protected by covering them with cheesecloth or other fine netting during the peak of beetle activity.
Chemical Control
Many insecticides are labeled for use against adult Japanese beetles. Examples include pyrethroid products such as cyfluthrin (Tempo, Bayer Advanced Lawn & Garden Multi-Insect Killer), bifenthrin (TalstarOne, Onyx), deltamethrin (Deltagard), lambda cyhalothrin (Scimitar, Spectracide Triazicide), esfenvalerate (Ortho Bug-B-Gon Garden & Landscape Insect Killer) and permethrin (Spectracide Bug Stop Multi-Purpose Insect Control Concentrate and other brands). Carbaryl (Sevin and other brand names) too is effective. The pyrethroid products generally provide 2-3 weeks protection of plant foliage while carbaryl affords 1-2 weeks protection. For those seeking a botanical alternative, Neem products such as Azatrol or Neem-Away (Gardens Alive), or Pyola (pyrethrins in canola oil) provide about 3-4 days deterrence of Japanese beetle feeding. Insecticidal soap, extracts of garlic, hot pepper, or orange peels, and companion planting, however, are generally ineffective.
With all products, foliage and flowers should be thoroughly treated. The application may need to be repeated to prevent reinfestation during the adult flight period. Follow label directions and avoid spraying under windy conditions or when bees are foraging. Be sure the insecticide is registered for use on the plant or crop you intend to spray. If it is a food crop, note the minimum number of days that must be observed between the date of the last application and the date of harvest.
Because Japanese beetles are attracted to favored host plants from a considerable distance, controlling white grubs in the lawn will not protect landscape plants from adult feeding.
Japanese Beetle Traps
Japanese beetle traps are sold in many garden centers. Commercially available traps attract the beetles with two types of baits. One mimics the scent of virgin female beetles and is highly attractive to males. The other bait is a sweet-smelling food-type lure that attracts both sexes. This combination of ingredients is such a powerful attractant that traps can draw in thousands of beetles in a day.
Unfortunately, research conducted at the University of Kentucky showed that the traps attract many more beetles than are actually caught. Consequently, susceptible plants along the flight path of the beetles and in the vicinity of traps are likely to suffer much more damage than if no traps are used at all.
In most landscape situations, use of Japanese beetle traps probably will do more harm than good. If you experiment with traps, be sure to place them well away from gardens and landscape plants.
