More bug woes

Unfortunatly, I have discovered that ants are not the only bugs around here in Tennessee. In fact, my discovery of this other bug has made the ants seem tame in conparison. The only good thing I can say for this bug is that it eats plants. I know, I know, you are wondering how that can be good. It is good in this sense - they don't want to come inside. By now you are probably dying with curiosity as to what bug could possibly make those nasting sweet-eating ants look tame. Lets try . . .

THE JAPANESE BEETLE

We have an apple tree in the backyard that they especially like. In fact the tree is simply swarming with them. In order to combat this problem I opted not to use large amounts of pesticide. Instead I purchased a relatively inexpensive Japanese Beetle trap from Wal-Mart. This trap came with a bag that the directions claimed should last about 4-5 days. I put the trap up midmorning yesterday. By two o'clock, the bag was completely full and there were more beetles flying around it. I tried to go out and change the bag, but there were just too many beetles flying around and I was afraid they would get caught in my hair (I can't imagine anything worse, except perhaps a bee or other stinging insect in my hair). I did manage in this expedition out to the trap to put a large garbage bag halfway over it before I fled in terror.

I waited about two more hours and decided that I needed to get a grip on myself. I was a big girl and could deal with a few (or not so few) bugs. They don't even bite, for crying out loud! So I set my jaw and went back out to the trap. The bag was still full and there were even beetles inside the garbage bag. I carefully removed the full bag and put an empty one on in it's place. I then tied a knot in the garbage bag and left it out in the sun for the beetles to die. TJ then took them to the trash when he got home. The bag weighed several pounds and had a couple hundred Japenese Beetles in it I'm sure. It will be interesting to see how many beetles we have collected tonight when I get home.

Trapping the adult beetles is not the most effective treatment, though it is all I can do at this point. The beetles come from grubs that live in the ground in the fall and spring, but only cause proplems to trees when they are adults. The best defense is to apply nemotodes to the ground when the grubs are there. Nemotodes are small parasitic organisms that will feed on the grubs and prevent them from emerging as adults. I'm hoping to be able to do this in order to take control of the situation.

Though I was sure this was a Tennessee problem, TJ insists that he has never seen these beetles before. Thus, we have decided that Japanese Beetles are indigenous to Lyles, TN. However, the information says this

This imported pest is generally found east of a line running from Michigan, southern Wisconsin and Illinois, south to Alabama. Occasional introductions are made into western states such as California and Oregon when the adult beetles or larvae are shipped in commerce. The original population was detected in New Jersey in 1916, having been introduced from Japan.

so we must be mistaken.