The Japanese beetle orgy.....

[poltr1]

Last night, while I was looking at my rose bush, I noticed a lot of green beetles on the rosebush, feasting on the leaves. Some were in the mating position. The bugs weren't moving very much or very fast. Today, after someone on my flist posted about rose bushes and pests, I did some digging. These were Japanese beetles. Their pattern of destruction was just how I described -- nibble on the leaf, and leave the veins. Another website recommended I kill them by letting them drop into a bucket of soapy water. So that's what I did tonight. I must have eliminated about 2 dozen of them.

I hate having to kill things, but some things have to die in order for other things to live. And the rose bush was here first.

Meanwhile, the glue didn't hold. I tried the latch on the propane lantern case, and it broke again. So it looks like I'll be calling Coleman after all to see if I can get a replacement part.

And Merlin is OK. I was able to brush the dried glue -- and the hair -- out of him.

Comments

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

Supposedly, if you are fairly serious about it, you can actually head off Japanese beetles with the shaking-them-into-soapy-water trick. Or you can just leave them; from what I hear, they rarely seriously damage healthy plants. But whatever you do, don't buy a pheromone trap; for every one you get in the trap, you will attract 10 more from the surrounding neighborhood.

[poltr1]

But whatever you do, don't buy a pheromone trap; for every one you get in the trap, you will attract 10 more from the surrounding neighborhood.

That's what the online literature said.

I wonder what I should do with the grubs the next time I see them.

[yourmommma.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm very glad to hear that even though the glue didn't fix the lantern at least it also came off of the cat. I have tried Gorilla glue for various things and haven't found it effective. Because my dogs will chew on things like glue bottles I threw mine out.

good luck with the new lantern case fastener.

A friend of mine used to spray her rosebushes with a diluted mixture of dial soap for pests and it worked pretty well.

[athenawindsong.livejournal.com]

It's like I always say... "I'm at one with the Goddess and all Her creatures, but the spider (beetle) MUST DIE!!!!"

[stevemb.livejournal.com]

I take a practical view -- destructive insects or poisonous spiders die on sight; everything else I generally ignore. With three cats, it's not like I see a lot of (living) bugs in the house in any case.