Beetle-Mania?

Unfortunately, I'm NOT referring to the Fab 4 here...





I've got beetles. Lots of beetles. In my front yard, I have two trees. One is a pretty mature cherry tree - it's a good 30-40' high. I realized yesterday, it's been totally infested by beetles, and approximately 1/4 - 1/3 of the leaves have just been gnawed through, and look like lace. The beetles are just in gobs all over the tree.





Now, I've noticed that the beetles have moved on to my Rose of Sharon (which is approx 15' high). The Rose of Sharon is JUST starting to bloom, and is otherwise very healthy, but there are huge clusters of beetles all over the tree.





How do I get rid of them? I'd prefer NOT to use any nasty chemicals, if at all possible, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything. I think it's beyond hanging those little plastic bags now - they've totally invaded! Any help is much appreciated!





Thanks!

Beetle-Mania?
Something that should help is by spraying the plants and beetles with soap. You can do this by putting a tablespoon or so of dishwashing soap (not detergent) into a hose-end sprayer, filling the remainder of it with water. The soap should soften the beetles' shells, killing them.





In addition to (hopefully) getting rid of the beetles, it will help wash pollution off of the plants and assist in the biodegrading process of organic litter on the ground (which becomes plant nutrients).
Reply:Bags....go ahead and hang them...they will leave the trees to go to the bags. those are the best dang inventions for beetles. Be prepared to buy a few.
Reply:Japanese beetles were a huge problem in my garden this year but there are two solutions that really work! the first one isn't the best but if you spot some on a leaf or in a flower, fill a bucket with soap and water and get a stick or fly swatter. Use the stick or fly swatter to knock the beetle into the bucket and it will drown.





The second solution is a trap. At Menard's they sell "bag a bug" traps that you hang somewhere ( preferably not right near the garden or it will attract more beetles to your flowers) and it will within days be filled with bugs. Just follow the instructions on the back of the box. Since it's sounds like you have a big problem, buy two boxes. It's cheap and you'll soon have a bag of Japanese Beetles!
Reply:Those are Japanese Beetles. They emerge, and are around for 2-3 weeks. The males march across town following the feremones of the females. And they eat any leaves in their path. They don't seem particular, and can fairly decimate a small tree or shrub.





If your tree is established, it should survive the attack. Trees in good health can survive being completely de-foliated.





On small plants, you can pick the buggers off, and drop them into a bucket of soapy water, or squish them. But sounds like the plants they are on , they'll be out of your reach. You can blast them off with a strong stream of water, and hope that they move on, rather than back into the same plant they were feasting on.





You can also spray them with Sevin, which will kill them. (It is available in a hose-attachment bottle so you can spray trees that are over your head.)





They attack is fairly short-lived, though I don't for a minute say that the short-attack can't bve devastating. If you don't want to use chemicals, try the strong hose-spray several times, and see if they move on.





The bag-traps are not the best. They attract by mimicing the female fermones. Often it will merely bring MORE beetles to your property than would otherwise be there. The best placement for your bags is far far away from your desirable plants. So unless you have a large peice of property, it's best if your neighbor down the block installs them rather than you.





Insecticidal soap not very effective on beetles, as they have the hard shell. Soaps are best used on soft-bodied insects.