As you may have noticed, I tend to be a very irregular blogger. I will try to be better in the future in hopes that this blog will become useful to gardeners.

Probably the biggest question on our phone lines these days is about the Japanese beetles. If you have not seen this pest, consider yourself lucky. Of course everyone wants to know what to do about this insect that seems to eat everything. Unfortunately there is not an easy answer on this one. There are control measures, but most are not terribly satisfactory. If you have a small population, just flick them off the plant into a bucket of soapy water and drown them.

If you have a large population, your chances of control are not good. There are insecticides available, but Japanese beetles feed on a huge range of plants and it is not feasible or safe to be spraying everything in your yard. I suggest that if you have a couple of plants that are real favorites of yours, spray them and leave the rest alone. Covering a special plant with a fine mesh netting would also be a choice.

There are a couple of control measures that would best be left alone. One is the Japanese beetle trap. While many traps are useful in monitoring for or even giving partial control of a pest, the Japanese beetle trap is not one of them. The trap often brings in more beetles than can actually be trapped in the trap. So the problem may become worse, rather than better. Another control measure that really does not work in our area is the milky spore disease. This product works best in warm climates (like southern states, and even there it is a slow process) and does not perform well in colder climates (northern states).

I know that this insect causes a lot of frustration to the home gardener, but there is a bright side. Although the damage looks bad, usually the plant will not die.