How to Protect My Garden Against Japanese Beetles
- 1). Let moles run amok in your yard. Moles eat Japanese beetle larvae or grubs located in the soil. If you have lots of mole tunnels in your yard, then you have lots of grubs in your soil. An adult mole can eat 50 Japanese beetle larvae per day, so if you can stand the damage the moles do to your lawn, don't set out any mole traps and continue to let them feast on the grubs.
- 2). Apply milky spore to your garden and lawn. Milky spore is a natural bacterium that is fatal to Japanese beetle grubs. It is typically sold in powder form. When sprinkled on the ground, the bacterium seeps into the soil then invades and kills the Japanese beetle grubs. Milky spore is not harmful to humans, pets, beneficial insects or other animals. The trick when using milky spore is to apply it to your soil in the fall, at the time when the Japanese beetle eggs begin hatching and releasing the grubs. Milky spore is also a safe alternative to treating your soil with chemical pesticides.
- 3). Plant species of plants in your garden that Japanese beetles do not like. Japanese beetles like most plants, but a few actually repel them. Catnip, chives and garlic are among the plants that Japanese beetles avoid. You can transplant these plants into your garden, especially close to vegetable plants you might have. Japanese beetles are particularly fond of vegetables, so planting a few garlic and catnip plants around your veggies could help protect them.
- 4). Install a Japanese beetle trap in your yard. The traps consist of a bait ball and a plastic bag receptacle. Beetles are attracted to the bait and swarm to the trap to get to it. They crawl into the plastic bag and then cannot get back out. Do not place the traps too close to your garden, however, as the swarming beetles may make a stop on your plants before they reach the trap. Place the trap at least 20 feet away to divert the beetles away from your garden area.
- 5). Avoid planting plants that are highly desirable to the beetles. Roses, for instance, are one of the first plants Japanese beetles eat once they discover them. It is not uncommon to see dozens of beetles on one rose plant. Other plants that Japanese beetles are particularly fond of include crab apple, grape, peach, plum, cherry, Japanese maple and the gray birch. If your garden is located near maple or birch trees, you may need to move relocate it.
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