Getting Rid Of Japanese Beetles In Your Garden

Do you have Japanese beetles devouring your plants?....In this video, i'm sharing how to get rid of Japanese beetles in your garden using organic methods. I'll be sharing my favourite japanese beetle trap and how to set it up and i'm also sharing the best ways to interrupt the reproduction cycle and stop these pesky beetles coming back year after year. If your looking for methods to get rid of Japanese beetles in your garden easily and without resorting to harmful pesticides - I've got you covered! See you in the comments below!
For those of you wanting the link to the traps you can find them via this link to our Amazon shop, they are under the "gardening" section
www.amazon.com/shop/thelittle...

[@neynahnehnah1485]

Funny how I didn't know you have this problem in your country and it broke my heart and then saw someone did invent something to stop and manage it and it calmed me down. I wish your and the earth the best. ❤

[@SQLMonger]

I had the same problem 20 years ago when the beetles first made it to southern Illinois. Our backyard was over the fence from a soybean field that the beetles just loved. Initial attempts to use the Spectricide bag traps of the day did not work well, because they filled up within an hour, resulting in them meeting up, mating and flying off. Also, the traps seemed to attract more beetles to the yard than were there before putting them up, so placing them far away from their favorite plants is a good strategy. Putting the trap over a 45-gallon trash drum filled part way with soapy water was an improvement. I would dump the barrel each evening and refill it. The skunks, opossums and rat snakes enjoyed the feast. What really did the trick was replacing the tiny bag with a tube of plastic bag material long enough to ensure that the beetles entering the trap would be guided to a watery demise. Just using a longer, large capacity bag worked wonders too. The bags had to weigh over 30 pounds each. They do stink though when caught in those quantities. You are correct that keeping their numbers down does help from year to year. One other thing I noticed is that it took the native birds a while to develop a taste for the beetles. The cardinals in particular seem to have developed a taste for them, and I often see them working their way through our vines to find them.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

wow thanks for sharing all your experience - i keep dreaming of some sort of rig where i can funnel the beetles through the trap into a tube like you say and then have that tube go into a dish in the chicken coop where they get served for breakfast lunch and dinner!!! I just need to be confident that my chickens would eat them in those numbers lol! it seems like such a waste of protein! Yeah i haven't seen the native birds too interested in our garden, it might be due to the jucier grasshoppers but we had finches in our sunflowers this year so maybe they got a closer look at the beetles and tried a couple!! here is hoping!

[@Rikanoelle]

If they drown in water, are they preserved longer for chicken feed? Genius idea with the longer funnel to a watery demise!

[@SharonCurtis7]

I don’t understand why milky spore was not mentioned. It is fabulous for keeping down numbers. It also spreads naturally. I tend to reapply every few years to boost it, but it does work wonders!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I should have re-mentioned it - it was actually covered in my first video! Its a great product.

[@beebob1279]

The traps are easy. Just hang them.

[@grandleigh6604]

Thank you so much, that was very informative

[@pkfmfld]

I've had extensive discussion with our state extension agents about the traps and they are clear that the traps are not good for backyard use. They bring more beetles in. I've convinced my neighbors to not use them. We're having much better luck with 3X/year use of milky spore.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I think each area probably needs assessment based on circumstances - if we hadnt uses the traps the beetles would have come anyways because they breed in the woodland that surrounds us. The traps attract them yes but the beetles also attract each other so once you have them in your garden then they just attract their mates! Milky spore is good- i had someone else write in to say they used milky spore, sprayed their crops with Kaolin clay and also used nematodes so im trying that this year!!! Thanks for sharing what you learned 👌🏻

[@jessicakillian3738]

​@@TheLittlePalletFarmhousewhat a shame, these are making the issue worse abd over time you are creating a bigger issue

[@selinamularz9194]

You are so right about seeing one or two one year and then a mass the next. I tend to let most critters live their little lives, but I finally let my young peach trees fruit this year and they decimated the fruit just before it was ripe enough to pick. They chewed right through the organza bags i had put on the fruits. I'm going to try these traps.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

they chewed through the organza bags ???!!!! The first year i saw these beetles ( me being from the UK) i didn't know what they were, and there were a small cluster on a young walnut tree - i thought wow what pretty beetles and took a photo and walked off !! lol - that soon changed into "this is war"!!!

[@JacindaH]

This is the most comprehensive video I've seen on these pests. And I don't think people realize the damage they can do to fully grown tree's!

[@jvin248]

I have found that planting Buckwheat close to and within gardens so they are flowering early and all summer the buckwheat attracts beetle predators and the beetle population drop dramatically. More pollinators and birds are in the garden. Those look like very good traps, and they plan for a big 'harvest'.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Thats really interesting!! Ive tried a few trap crops but never thought of predator insects- one other lady on here said she ordered assassin bugs to unleash in the garden- i didnt know they eat the beetles!

[@paulpugh2480]

Very educational,Thnx.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

thankyou !!

[@CMSCK]

This year I sprayed soapy water on the grass everywhere and in my beds. The grubs came to the surface and birds arrived.

[@Rikanoelle]

A farm market owner / organic grower taught me to sprinkle a little sea salt on the snow around the plants that the japanese beetles usually eat. I’m not sure if it kills the grubs or if it changes the taste of the plant so the beetles no longer want it. Only a little salt. Too much salt can make the soil infertile.

[@barbarabailey5178]

I live in town but have always had Japanese Beetle problems d/t my rose bushes. I let my neighbors put out those bags and attract the beetles to their properties:) I have put the grub killer in my grass for a couple years. This year I hardly saw any beetles on my flowers - at least partly because one day I noticed movement in my grass, went to check it out, and realized I was seeing beetles emerging from the ground! I got real busy killing them before they could get any further.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Lol! Yes attract them away!! Whenever im gardening and i find the grubs i throw them to my ducks- now whenevr im digging anywhre my ducks follow me around expectantly!

[@captainfancypants1877]

They really like Marigolds too.

[@garystew2077]

Thank you for this video! I've been battling Japanese Beetles since we moved into our home a few years ago. The plants they seem to be most attracted to for me are our roses, hardy hibiscus, rose of sharon, black berries, raspberries, and marigolds. I purchased some traps like the ones in your video and they seem to work alright. I definitely still have to go around and get them off the plants myself. I might also try the grub killer this fall to see if that makes more of a difference. I also started my first veggie garden this year and have dealt with pretty much all of the "bad bugs" so it has been an exhausting experience just trying to manage pests without using a bunch of sprays and chemicals.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I hear you! Keep going- i think what you are doing will break the back of the cycle… definitely treat the ground, “milky spore” is a ground application specific for japanese beetles - keep the traps going and keep hand picking! I’ll be interested to know how the situation looks next year !

[@ironleatherwood1357]

I garden organically. I only use organic fertilizer, never spray with pesticides. Focus on soil health and keep adding lots of organic matter and it will get better, I promise. I grow sunflowers, the birds eat the seeds and eat bugs while visiting. Grow lots of flowers around your garden and you will create a habitat for beneficial insects who will go after the bad bugs. This year I put mint leaves every other day around my squash plants and cucumbers and it helped deter squash and cucumber beatles. This is my 5th year in this garden and my soil gets better every year and this was my best season yet! Hang in there!

[@timteller1400]

Never even heard of Japanese beetles. We have "Phyllopertha horticola, the garden chafer or garden foliage beetle" here. It looks similar but it does no damage. I use neem for garden pests, it seems to work. But I heard mixed reviews from others. Did you ever try neem and, if so, did it work for you regarding those beetles? Good video. Thank you for sharing.

[@chelseakiesling282]

This year is so incredibly bad for me with those beetles last year I hardly had any and if I saw them I would remove them and squish them. But this year they are just taking over. They have taken my morning glory, my roses, green beans, and marigolds. I have found them on my other plants but they have not attacked them like how they did with those other plants or not at all. Thanks for making this video it really helps me to figure out what to do next.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I hope it helps give you some strings! Last year was awful for us so i went ALL out to get rid of them- and i refuse to use chemicals! It does create a bunch of work which is awful in this heat- i also recently bought some large next which i plan to get set up for next year!!! Keep using trap bags- remember every beetle you trap and kill can not make more beetles 💪🏼

[@oregon32nursenurse43]

Look at how many you collect!!! 🐞 My gosh no wonder our raspberry plants were completely skeletonized!!!

[@melody-RN-BSN]

It happened to my plum trees😂😂😂

[@jerrypeal653]

I’ve sprayed with soap and water , so far seems to be doing the trick.

[@keithtimelessacres]

Be cautious of the traps they will draw the beetles from the neighborhood.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

You are absolutely right and thats kind of my plan! I want to catch as many as will come- mass extermination!!

[@joannecordone6831]

Their default is to drop when disturbed, so your soapy water is my go to. To decrease their numbers, add milkey spore to your garden soils and even your lawn. Follow the bag instructions for temperature requirements and rate of application. Between daily checks with soapy water and Milkey Spore my beetles have decreased.

[@hycinth5371]

I had lot of them this year. They gone after my weeping cherry trees, roses, hibiscus and yellow petunias. I couldn’t believe they gone after the yellow petunias. I also found them in my vegetable garden, especially the beans, cucumbers and squash. I noticed some of them on the arborvitae tress. They are so nasty, so I used trap bags and hand picked them into soapy water. I learned recently that they don’t like garlic water so will give it a try next year. I wish I could get them under control at my property because I do think they are pretty.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

They seem to enjoy this hot humid weather we are having! Keep going with the trap bags- my thinking is that they have to tail off eventually 🫣 it creates a lot of extra work but i believe we can get on top of them with a multi faceted approach! They went after my beans and my raspberries earlier in the season and now on my sweet potatoes 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@savannahsmiles1797]

I planted garlic chives by my squash and they didn't go near it.

[@ronalddavis5905]

Your right, last year I killed in the bags and by hand about 8 t0 10 thousand, this year after a month maybe a thousand total but I stay up on them, I live in mid michigan. next year I will put a lot of grub killer down around the lawn brown spots and see if that helps. Great video.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

thankyou ! Sounds like you are winning the war! Thats my strategy also - sooner or later the population curve has to flatten right!! I'm all in favour of drawing them out and bagging them! lol - my weird hobby!

[@stevebabiak6997]

Using a grub killing product on the lawn is the most important thing in killing future Japanese beetles. The female Japanese beetles will lay eggs on any soil surface - I had grubs in containers and in my mulch beds - so treat any soil surface with your grub killing products. The timing of when you apply the grub killer is crucial - the freshly hatched grubs are less mature and closer to the surface, hence they are easier to kill, and you want the grub killer in place to take the grubs out as close to hatching as possible. And a correction to a statement made in this video: the female Japanese beetle does not overwinter in the ground, it lays eggs and gets back to eating plant leaves.

[@shellyirwin2562]

I have done a ton of research on whether or not to use traps. I copy and pasted this article I found... The University of Missouri and Lincoln University have found two things that are key to making the traps effective. What they say is that you must make sure you have a large container to trap the beetles in. The second important step is to not put it by the plants but instead, around the perimeter of the area you are trying to protect. You also want to make sure that the traps are spaced no further than 200 feet apart so that you have a continuous perimeter of the lure scent to attract the beetles. By placing them in a perimeter around your property it means that Japanese beetles emerging from the soil are attracted to the edge of your property instead of towards the plants you are trying to protect. Also, those flying in from neighboring properties are intercepted and trapped before they get to your plants. If you have a relatively small property, such as a regular city lot, with the 200 foot spacing you may only need one or two traps. You would place the traps on either end of your property and or the place farthest from the things you are trying to protect. Having a large container to hold the beetles that fall in the trap helps deal with the issue of them filling up too fast and makes it more feasible to empty the containers as needed. To read rest of article - www.givinggrove.org/blog-reference/guest-post-japanese-beetle

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

solid information thankyou for sharing! I've played around with the perimeter and for us i think there is so little distance between the woodland ( where i think they come from) and the garden ( where they land) we have just been swarmed by mass numbers until this year and i couldn't tell if placing the traps further away was helping... this year we had the traps about 15ft from the garden but about 200ft apart and have defintely collected a good number but not in the quantities like last year so im hoping thats to do with "less beetle babies" after trapping the adults from year to year! We are planning to move the chickens closer to the garden and i'd love to develop a system where the beetles are funnelled down a pipe into a dish of water for the chickens to self serve!!

[@shellyirwin2562]

Happy to share!

[@derekturner3272]

I had an old van on my property from an old business and the chrome bumper constantly attracted the Guinea fowl. They would stand in front of the "mirror" and argue/fight/peck with the bird in the reflection for HOURS. Funny at first, by I eventually spray painted the bumper before getting rid of the van all together because the noise drove me nuts. Amazing birds but noise is an understatement.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

lol !! Thats to funny!!! Yeah they are loud - ours settled down after their first year - now i only hear them when there is a real predator issue outside - snake or fox... and they are loud enough that i can hear them in the house so they do a job for me that way too!!

[@AllGoodSeeds]

My biggest issue with the beetles are the grubs in my garden raised beds. They have destroyed more than half of my seedlings this year. Ive use diatomacious earth and sifted soil before planting, but they must be further down than I'm reaching. Suggestions on treating for the grubs in vegetable beds?

[@everafterflowerfarm]

Oh my gosh we get thousands and thousands of them. I am definitely trying this.

[@markharnitchek9205]

i use the same traps ... they work like a champ ... every beetle in the bag is a beetle not eating or reproducing ... and every year i seem to see fewer and beetles.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Amen! If there is one insect that could be done away with, this one gets my vote!!

[@FloridaGirl-]

I wonder if Kaolin clay spray would work. kaolin clay . It's a completely natural product that seems like it works miracles. This powdery clay is mixed with water and sprayed on plants to physically prevent pests from attacking your garden. It's most commonly used on fruit trees but can work on just about any plant.

[@msmartinigirl1]

I haven't used a trap, but have picked the beetles off every year and this year finally for some reason there aren't many ,maybe some of the neighbors are using traps or some kind of pesticide? I don't know but I am happy the numbers have diminished tremendously this year. I am just finding a couple a day. :) This year the plants they were after were my pink petunias! Rarely found any on anything else. The other plant they really loved was my Passion flower that just started blooming and I found half a dozen on 1 flower. which I removed.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

urgh when they find something they want to eat its like a team event! Thats interesting they were on your petunias as they didn't go on mine at all!!! The other interesting observation is they never touch my tomatoes!

[@AbuBakarsYellowRose]

Thank for such an informative video. My problem is cucumber beetles, so my question is if this trap works on the cucumber beetle as well?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

aww thanks for watching! These traps only catch japanese beetles - i've never seen another type of bug in the traps. However because cucumber beetles also over winter in the ground i would suggest applying the same principle of interrupting the reproductive cycle by using products to kill them in the ground before they emerge. Try looking up nematodes for cucumber beetle grubs. - let me know what you find as we get a few here too!

[@Rock_Nemo]

how long does the bait cartridge last and does rain impact the trap. thanks

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

the company advertises them as "seasonal" its supposed to last the whole season that the beetles are around. I have just replaced a trap after 2 months but we have had barely any rain. Last year we had more rain and it did reduce the efficiency of the trap. Now if i know a big rain is coming i take the trap off the stand and hang it in a shed until the rain clears.

[@neynahnehnah1485]

From the top comment on this post I just think you can use that into your advantage. Make a pin point to attract them for one year, make it so great that they can't look away, then plant your plan. But you should do it perfectly. If it is a success, you can make it in bigger size every year and use your knowledge to get budget from the gov and they can invest to stop it.

[@WhosthatTeamAFC]

I’m planning to put these traps a few hundred yards away from my orchard. Wonder if that will solve the “attract them to your garden” problem.

[@dustinhardy2952]

I wonder if you attach it to a bucket of dirt instead of bag. If they would lay eggs in the dirt and you could use the grubs for chicken feed.

[@jphwacheski]

guinea fowl and boar,. yes.

[@ironleatherwood1357]

I have a weed, trap plant that they love and for the most part leave my garden veggies alone. They like my hollyhock, roses and apple trees. I pick them twice a day for a couple of months , drop them in water and feed them to my chickens in a bucket of water, free protein! This year they weren't too bad. I fertilize my trees with comfrey leaves, chop and drop for several months and this year my trees stayed healthy and weren't harmed too bad

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

i love to hear that healthy plants are defensible! Thats fantastic. I haven't had comfrey growing here yet - its on the list !! I tried geraniums as a trap crop 2 years ago ( they have a toxin that paralyzes the beetle) it worked but just not in the quantity i needed! Also tried feeding to chickens and put them in the freezer but the chickens didn't seem to want them unless they were fresh !

[@LehiDavis-lb2dh]

Harris Asian Lady Beetle, Japanese Beetle, and Box Elder Killer. Y'all works wonders.

[@jcbfree]

I've heard that if you use the traps they attract more to your place.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

well they do but here is the thing, beetles themselves attract other beetles ( its the same mechanism) so yes the trap draws them in but my philosophy is to catch and kill - when you get beetles on your plants others start showing up because they emit a pheramone - this is the same principle that the trap works on. I rather they fall in the bag then join their friends!

[@Earthy-Artist]

I found a whole bunch of grubs like those in my garden soil when I was amending it in spring and wondering are there any other grubs which are lookalikes to Japanese beetle grubs? I also found a similar beetle yesterday in my garden, it doesn't quite 100% look like a Japanese beetle it doesn't have the white parts on the edges of it's wings and colors are not quite the same but is very close. I'm unsure what it is exactly and I sure hope it's not actually a Japanese beetle.

[@racebiketuner]

I've found applying Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Hb nematodes) to the soil in the spring and fall really helps with grubs. Do your homework on application, as they are very sensitive to light, temperature and soil moisture.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

this is great - i will look it up thankyou - i've been wondering about Nematodes

[@trailerwookie]

The beneficial nematodes killed off about 95 percent of my beetles. I have to dig many, many shovels of dirt in my large garden before I even find one!

[@richardross7219]

We had a bad infestation last year. I added compost and tilled 3 times this year. We've only had a few beetles and squash bugs this year. I'm not sure why. Could too much rain affect them?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

interesting! Its possible that tilling could have disrupted bug larvae - i don't know. We had squash bugs pretty bad this year too - they also over winter in wood piles and decaying debris ( just FYI) and for some reason my chickens wont eat them lol! - i think its their blue blood !! hehehe

[@beebob1279]

These traps have been around for years and are very affective. The gypsy moth issue when I was a boy caused traps to be designed for those also. I'm waiting for the trap design for the spotted lantern fly. They are spreading and are detrimental to so many crops.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

i haven't heard of the lantern fly - funny someone else just mentioned that a moment ago! Will have to google it!

[@HaizeyWings]

There were spotted lantern fly traps of a similar design as these japanese beetle traps on a walking path in New Jersey two months ago. I assume they're obtainable for the public by now?

[@henriknielsen9674]

You can also put the trap without the bag, inside the chicken enclosure (if you have one). Then grow food around it

[@uzo992]

OMG these Japanese beetles every time on MY PLANT!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Get em!!!

[@garypillischafske1425]

oddly enough I used these traps one year and we were swarmed by the beetles. I discontinued their use and they went away. I was told these traps attract many more beetles than if you had no traps. Right now my neighbor has traps and lots of beetles but I have none to speak of. My observation may be wrong but I can’t argue with the results.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

you are not wrong - the traps do attract beetles!! My goal is to attract them ALL - we are in a very rural area and i think a lot of them are in the woodland and have never been addressed so it felt like taking on an army 2 years ago - its got less each year so i'm hopefully breaking the back of the population! I guess your neighbour is taking care of it for you this year!! Buy them dinner!! lol

[@sdqsdq6274]

times like this , one will need a pet monitor lizard , they will search for the grubs and have a feast , lol

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

lol!! Do they eat snakes too ????

[@itsmewende]

I'm on the shore in Maryland. Last yr and again this they were the absolute worst. I gave up last yr, this yr I was out there before 8am hunting them down, which honestly wasn't hard at all. I ended up taking my beautiful double hollyhocks to the ground, they were just stuffed between the petals, so ugly. I'm using milky spore this autumn, then getting some assassin bugs come spring. I did find 3 that are native to Maryland, so on a hope and a prayer, and fingers crossed they do a great job of helping me out.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

they are pretty cool looking bugs! I did not know they take out Japanese beetles!! You will have to let me know how that goes!!

[@itsmewende]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse Will do 😊

[@barbaraepley7032]

If you use those pheromone traps you will need to use them for at least 2 to 4 years in succession because it draws beetles from well beyond most property perimeters and they may have infested your grounds with their eggs. Just keep doing this for a few years and the problem should be solved.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

i've been working on that premise!! I don't think our neighbours ( 1/4 mile away) do anything and our surrounding woodland has probably never been treated so i'm figuring it will take some time but thats ok!! I'm in it to win the war even if i loose a few battles!!

[@ellliwhite8773]

Thank you so much, we've been dealing with this issue for a while.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

@@ellliwhite8773 they are the worst!!!

[@indridcold8433]

Do not waste the dead beetles. They make incredibly good firtilizer and lower soil PH level for plants that need higher soil acidity. They do wonders for young hemlock that look anemic.

[@gypsydrumhorse]

I just love guineas, however, I learned they are not cold hearty at all. They come from a very warm climate. Places that are zone 5 or below can be very cruel to guineas They get frost bite easily, more easily than chickens or turkeys. They don't like to be cooped up so it's hard to protect them in winter. I've had them fly up into the trees and try to roost when it's very cold. Their feet freeze when they do that. Please don't encourage sales of guineas by buying them in areas as cold as zone 5 and below, it's cruel. I still love guineas, they are the best bug eaters out there.

[@lessycurls]

Milky spore?

[@user-rh1mn2zq2e]

Cut the bottom off the trap bag and put the trap over a 5 gallon bucket with water and a few drops of dish soap. Replace with another ready bucket as needed. Dump when bugs are fully deceased. Be diligent 3-4 years and you will break the cycle. Saved our trees and gardens when others were lost. Yes we absolutely attracted our neighbors beetles, thank God, because they did nothing but complain about my trapping. Ended their problem too. You’re welcome.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

boom!! love it!!! I was going to do exactly what you said with the bucket but i wish i'd known that last year! - this year its been 10x better so haven't filled a bag once yet - but i'll keep going - i want NOT one remaining !!

[@johnk5778]

You should try milky spore disease , a powder that you spread on your lawn

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

thankyou ! yes i use it also - i had mentioned it in my previous video! Should have mentioned it again!

[@drewdroppings]

If I were to collect the beetles from my trees, could I put them into something and have then attract others into a makeshift container they can enter but not leave?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I think the problem you would have is keeping your “lure beetles” alive so they continue to give off the pheramones- the ones in our traps die when they pile up and soon start smelling really bad!

[@alwaysright6358]

The best thing I did was getting rid of my grape plant, and my neighbor getting rid of their false grape plants. That reduced their population dramatically. I still see some here and there, like in my Rose of Sharon flowers. I can deal with those by catching and burning them alive.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

they do like the grapes here too but equally all the fruit trees and berry bushes... i actually bought nets for next year because they have managed to damage my main vine again so much i got no grapes anyway !

[@evilroyslade2491]

Roses and grapes were destroyed last year. This year I sprayed BT late at night and the Beetles are all gone. Not one beetle on my plants.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I think next year i'm going to net my grapes as nothing keeps them off and they always manage to stress my plant enough to where i get no grapes! What is BT?

[@stevebabiak6997]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse - Bt is Bacillus thuringiensis

[@Chris-op7yt]

not sure if exactly same japanese beetle that i used to have on this side of the world, as i think there's more than one beetle called japanese beetle. the way i dealt with mine is different. i noticed their grubs in good numbers whenever i dug into my lawn. apparently my ones were into dead grass roots. i started looking after lawn by fertilizing and watering deeply, and havent seen the beetles in years. my japanese beetles didnt used to damage plants much, but were a nuisance in fall when they all emerged and swarmed around outside lights.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

interesting - maybe your grass was just better tasting than your plants!! I've heard others report brown patches in their lawns due to the grubs feeding on grass roots and killing the grass from underneath.

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse : yes, that's what was happening here, until i started fertilizing and watering lawn. i dont see any, for a number of years now. it may or may not be an option for you. if you do have a local population in your place, the grubs can be found in ground in cool season. my climate is frost free, and i'd find them in soil in winter. they're also impartial to any rotting wood, such as raised garden bed boxing. i got rid of raised beds and learnt that they cause more problems than they solve. now happy gardening in standard rows, with driptape irrigation and fertilization.

[@MRTOMBO]

Have you tried spraying beneficial nemotodes across your lawn and garden? As I understand it, you buy the relevant nemotode that preys on the grubs, dump the packet into the hose sprayer with water in it, and just spray down the lwasn and dirt. Nemotodes disperse into the soil and go on the hunt eating the grubs.

[@racebiketuner]

Yup. I'm using type Hb with good success. To be effective, you need to apply in spring and fall. Application is a little tricky as they don't like light and are very sensitive to temperature and soil moisture level. IMO, well worth the effort.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

i haven't tried them as yet but thankful for this suggestion and will be looking into it!

[@mickipease5659]

The problem I had with the traps is that it attracted so many of them it was uncontrollable. If the 25000 bugs I caught mean I don’t get them this year, that’s great!

[@derangstgarten1447]

There aught to be a band called ''Japanese Beatles'' with an album called ''In Your garden'' it would sell like a million copies

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

bahahah!! I was thinking more like "Help!"

[@zhou_sei]

wait, how is it non chemical if it literally uses a chemical to attract them?

[@ironleatherwood1357]

I have used these before, we opened the bottom so the could fall into water and the chickens ate them. I would never get them again because they actually attract them,

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

where we live they come in mass numbers anyway, attracting more beetles to them, so i rather use the traps and get there first!

[@BlahBohogun]

Pig has a syrong sense of smell stronger than dog so them smelling the grubs under ground is not far fetched. Also pig noses can be used by pigs to shovel up ground so they equiped to deal with this problem.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I love this comment!! Thankyou! I am always amazed by watching my pigs. I can stand at the top of the woodland with a bucket of tomatoes for them and i dont have to say a thing, it takes them 5 mins to smell me and come running up the hill from 300ft away!!

[@littleworld8157]

Do you think it can be used to trap Lantern flies too?!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

this specific trap will only lure Japanese beetles

[@wayneessar7489]

A gentleman on here set his trap on top of a hole in a Brute brand garbage can. He collected a lot of beetles!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

A neighbour of ours did that too! - genius idea - i'll have to try it at some point!

[@RedStorm.]

They arrived first time this year, here.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Urgh - sorry! At least you can start with a plan of attack 💪🏼

[@newelljoENG]

I had a lot of success after I planted plenty of giant marigolds. The flowers seem to trap them and they "mostly" avoided my other plants.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

this is a great tip! I also used a trap crop last year "geraniums" which have a toxin in the leaves to paralyse the beetles - but we got such huge numbers of beetles i don't think i would have had enough trap crops to overcome!! Definitely an important part of the strategy though - i'll be trying marigolds next year!

[@newelljoENG]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse For sure. I'm definitely not filling up buckets worth of them... oh boy you've got a lot!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

@@newelljoENG lol! They ALL moved to the midwest 😂🫣🫣

[@kipplockwood1368]

I have a small yard in the middle of the city and mostly grow flowers. Of course the flowers I am most attracted to are also those the beetles love. So I tell everyone that the beetles and I have the same taste in flowers!😂😢🤬

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

bahaha! Which flowers are they? They definitely prefer my fruit and veg over flowers - but i think they like 400 different species of plants!

[@hill2750]

What would happen if you opened the bag's bottom and extended it into a bin or container?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

people do so successfully! I have wondered about engineering a tube at the bottom of the bag that delivers them straight into my chicken coop!! lol

[@hill2750]

​@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouseYum!

[@lizpetruzzi7700]

Milky spore granules will organically treat the soil and the effect multiples providing years of protection. Not a quick solution tho - 3 applications, Spring, Summer, Fall for two years. This has almost eliminated Japanese beetles in my garden.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Thats awesome!! We are into 2nd year of Milky spore treatment ( i should have mentioned it but covered it in last years video!)

[@donnavorce8856]

For you folks who have hens - hens absolutely love eating these beetles. My girls follow me around the yard waiting for me to assist them in reaching beetles and they're jumping up to snatch them off the lower leaves. DO NOT USE POISON. Your hens will die. (Obviously.) The traps are a great idea. Just, as the post says, empty them into the hen coop daily.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I love to hear folks having success with using them as a food source for chickens! I had 3 asian black chickens 3 years ago who also would follow me round in my morning plant shake 😂 our newer layers dont seem as enthused compared to getting the grass hoppers but i need to try again with daily harvesting!

[@dawnr8511]

Used to use traps, but it was totally disgusting harvesting pounds of beetles in the bags. I used Spectracide Concentrate Triazicide on a Larch tree and some Medlar trees and the Japanese beetles seem to be repelled and if they do try to consume the leaves, they drop off dead. Best solution to those evil buggers that I have ever found - lasts for two months In the Midwest, ya got to spray just before July 15th.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Lol- i used to be creeped out too but i guess over exposure and i got desensitised!! We stick to organic practices on our farm so no chemical sprays- though we probably get run off from neighbouring farms 🙃

[@neuralglitch9063]

Those traps DO work great. Problem is, they ATTRACT thousands of beetles to your garden which is not good. If you can hang them far enough away from your plants they will do wonders, but the last thing you want to do is attract more of these vicious little creatures into your growing space. I have vines they like that grow along the roadside about 300ft from my growing area, and have had lots of luck just buying the "bait lure" packs and throwing them out there every 20ft or so, but Milky Spore works best. It does take a few years of regular spraying to completely eradicate them though..... 🙁

[@MrGoenes]

why do they die? Does the bait kill them? If so, I would be concerned feeding them to the chicken.

[@colonelJ77]

If you want to get rid of Japanese beetles then you want to buy the traps and install them in your neighbors yard.

[@danaszabo9921]

Hi I don’t see the link

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Oops!! thanks for letting me know!! here you go www.amazon.com/shop/thelittlepalletfarmhouse - i put the link up top now!!

[@michaelaconnell4915]

Milky spore

[@urbugnmetoday3183]

Nematodes are great, traps bring them in

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I kind of want to bring them in because for us i feel like they just hand in the woodland and reproduce out there, i'd rather lure them and bag them! ... which nematodes do you use - i'd like to add them also.

[@urbugnmetoday3183]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse I use a mixture of all three, deals with slugs in the strawberries too

[@racebiketuner]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse Type Hb are specific to this pest, but I use triple mix at a higher concentration. For the initial application I would recommend going 10X higher. No harm in this except for the cost. The unit cost goes way down in larger qualities. If possible try to do a group buy with other farmers/gardeners in your area.

[@dianehunt9320]

DO NOT put up traps because it attracts Japanese beettles and they will come from all over the community.

[@rosehavenfarm2969]

That was our experience as well. The year after we used the traps they devastated our trees and vines.

[@cheskydivision]

Plant mint.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I have mint right next to the grapes! Doesnt do a thing 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@tomnekuda3818]

I find the infestations by listening.......I will hear "She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"....that's all there is to it!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

🤭🤭🤭😂

[@maryannsimms7189]

Milky spore put down in the fall works to really cut down on the horrible monsters. I have fed millions to my ducks and chickens. Dump the bags into a big water dish and then watch the party.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

We also got some milky spore last year ( covered in last video) , great product - can i ask - how often do you empty the beetles out for your ducks? I found our chickens wouldn't eat them after a day or more. Would love to get a system down as its so much free protein!!

[@maryannsimms7189]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse I don’t use the bags anymore because I feel like they draw the Beatles to our gourmet feast of a garden. I use to just empty the bags out in a big pan of water about every other day. A feast, gobbled up. No problems.

[@maryannsimms7189]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse also yearly applications of milky spore are needed. I still have beetles but drastically reduced. I have a really big gardening area so it does get expensive.

[@william7108]

Yeah exactly but beetle traps bring more Beatles to the area so then you got a bunch of dead Beatles but you got every Beatle from the county coming to your area so that's a no no

[@justanotherdaddd]

Chickens!

[@andrewlawrence9340]

Do you have foxes?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

yes we have all the woodland critters!

[@danielgrubb9668]

The damn things are destroying my fruit trees in Virginia. Thanks!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

they are a pest! - Can you net your trees?

[@danielgrubb9668]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse The mating cycle is over for the year. I’m going to try your traps next year. Thanks!

[@mafarmtown2086]

All the traps do is draw more beetles to your property because of the pheromones used for the bait. Yes, traps catch a lot, but why draw more in?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I want to draw them ALL in so i can catch and kill them! Otherwise they just keep merrily breeding and increasing in population in the woodland or wherever else they hang out. We trapped about 30gallons of beetles last year and this year the results have been that my traps have only caught a couple of pints- so thats my offensive play!

[@uzo992]

so you think a pair of turkeys and 4 or 5 chickens could do the trick?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

I guess it depends on the size of the problem! I got it to where my chickens would follow me round the garden in the morning- when its cooler i can shake the small fruit trees, the beetles fall to the ground and the chickens score!! Lately my guineas do most of the heavy lifting- my chickens dont like the heatwave!!

[@andiskene7346]

These things are so gross. I noticed that they like to settle on my marigolds, which is where I catch them and throw them into soapy water.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Good deal! Other people intentionally plant marigolds as a trap crop so you unknowingly did yourself a favour!!

[@framebyframe7035]

Be careful using traps, hanging them will attract more beetles to your yard and increase damage to the plants/trees in the immediate vicinity.

[@gavincampbell2862]

So Japanese Beetles, would that be John, Paul, George and Lingo?

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

bahahahaha - awww classic - you had me laughing out loud!!! nice one

[@peace4peaceful]

Lingo is Chinese you plick 😅😅😅

[@huckwach3074]

Good one!!

[@ryanstage3912]

She's being swarmed as she's doing a lot of this wrong. The pheromone traps attract only the males and if your interested in stopping the beetles going after the males isn't going to help not to mention you are actually attracting other beetles to your property. Stopping the females from breading and reproducing in the ground is job #1. Spraying your plants with soapy water at night to prevent killing pollinators and picking off what you see is a good start but should be followed up with milky spore to prevent the grubs from restarting the cycle the next year. All this is done without chemicals and your attacking the lifecycle not ringing a dinner bell!

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

thanks- i covered milky spore in last years video. Should have re-mentioned. Some thoughts on your comments - 1. Although you say male beetles only attracted to the traps, stopping those males mating with the females is going to hurt the reproduction cycle. 2. The traps attract the beetles yes but beetles attract beetles using the same scent. So a bunch of beetles in your garden essentially has the same effect as the traps but only they go to your plants and not in a bag. 3. Repeated spraying of plants with soapy water is not organic gardening lol- dawn dish soap is a pretty hectic chemical. I know a neighobour actually killed his strawberry plants last year by using dawn dish soap. 4. Last year we trapped over 30 gallons of beetles, this year we haven't had anywhere near the same problem so i'm confident what we did absolutely broke the back of our problem.

[@ryanstage3912]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse The USDA and Universities working on this say no it doesn't slow the population growth down. The reason being is a single Male can mate thousands of females and your traps are about 70% effective so your actually speeding up the matting process by removing male competition. Who said you had to use "Dawn" dish soap? I use a organic clear soap that works just fine and currently have 6 bee hives on the same property with no ill effect to the bees. As a biologist nothing in common soaps kills plants sure I guess if you put enough of anything down on plants including water you can kill them but correctly applied at night no its not harmful.

[@McJiver]

These look big enough to suck them up with a shop vac.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

lol yes! If only it would't suck the leaves off my plants too!

[@McJiver]

@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse I was referring to the bag opening.

[@EugenieGiasson]

I use a hand-held vacum.

[@saraquigley5414]

beetle traps in the garden will only invite more beetles to your garden -- it's a big mistake to use the traps that way. I'm always so excited to see neighbors down the street using traps because I know that any beetles thinking of coming to my garden will be lured away by the traps down the street. Honestly, terrible advice to put them in your garden IMO.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

we get swarms of beetles from the surrounding woodland because nothing is done about it in this area. The beetles come to the garden like hungry locusts ( trap or no trap) once here they put out the same pheromones that the trap uses and so attract more beetles. In my opinion i rather they go into the bag than onto my fruit trees. Those are dead beetles and can not make more beetles. We've seen a huge reduction in generational numbers by trapping and disposing.

[@nikam1656]

Do not use those because it will on my attract more!!

[@melody-RN-BSN]

If you keep doing it for several years, The amount of beetles will decrease.

[@mikenewell5683]

I had some on a fruit tree last year which is near my garden. I put a trap out after using sevin spray on tree to get them away from tree. Never had any beetles in garden.

[@melody-RN-BSN]

@@mikenewell5683 Good idea!

[@SeanDSarcasm]

Beetle trap bags will actually bring you more beetles, the bags did nothing for your next season. You need to research this from another angle.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

So your saying that my trapping of 30gallons of beetles had no baring on the following year’s population? - even though had i not caught them they would have otherwise mated and overwintered in my area ? Not sure what your seeing differently 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@SeanDSarcasm]

Yeah, the bait traps actually attracted even more beetles, and despite catching 30 gallons of them, the extra beetles they lured in caused even more damage. I also had a beetle problem, but ever since I switched to using cups of soapy beer and conducted bi-daily inspections over the course of three years, the beetle population has steadily decreased. I suspect that most of them are drawn to the scented bait traps used elsewhere.@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse I'm not criticizing you just learned it through perma-culture.

[@SeanDSarcasm]

I must add I also added bait plants in the form of rose bushes to key areas. The beetles seem to prefer to go for those first. They take a early beating, but I deploy to soapy beer under the rose bush's . Kill any I see at the time and the results this year and last have been almost no beetles after mid spring.@@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

@@SeanDSarcasm kudos if your beer cups do the trick ( we put lime in our beer in the UK not soap 😆) but with the mass numbers we had here (2 years ago) the beetles were attracting the other beetles in swarms before we even knew about the traps. 2 years on and population size is down to half a bag per month so i’m sticking with this for now. We did geranium trap crops and milky spore which I believe also helped and i also think our hogs have covered about 4 acres of ground in the woods this year so i’ll bet all the grubs have gone from there now too!

[@Mickey-jn8hz]

Those damn bugs ruined my rhubarb this year……

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

they are the worst! We lost our grapes...

[@theurbanthirdhomestead]

You lost me at Amazon. 😢

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

Honestly it would be good to do away with Amazon but the reality is i spent a whole afternoon travelling to two of our major farm stores who said they didnt have them in this year so its the only way i can share a guaranteed place to purchase. I prefer to shop local but it isnt always possible.

[@william7108]

Okay that's not going to work can I have to pass on this one

[@MytrekFleetwood]

This looks delicious. Who me? Oh im guy who doesnt read the title or watch the video

[@orionx79]

People are stupid, They say no chemicals, then say oh here's a thing with chemical pheromones that attracts them. When you make such a obvious intelligence mistake, i then wonder how accurate there other information is.

[@TheLittlePalletFarmhouse]

oh goodness this comment is so lame. Clearly everyone understands the difference between spraying insecticide all over the place and using a non toxic lure trap. Probably about as toxic to people as using soap to wash your hands. The point is that this trap ONLY attracts japanese beetles and it does so without mass spraying of plants or other insects.