[NAFEX] Skeletonized raspberries

John McCuan wawo at yahoo.com
Sun Jun 17 14:34:13 EDT 2007



  I have definitely had raspberries skeletonized by Japanese  beetles.  The ones that bother us aren't strictly nocturnal,  however, but certainly are active in the day.
  
  This is what I've learned and observed, which isn't too much.   Once Japanese beetles start gathering on a particular plant, they  release a pheremone that attracts more of them, and they quickly do  considerable damage.  I've found that the beetles are less active  early in the morning, so I go out and knock them into a pail of water  (which I then give to the chickens who pick them out and eat  them).  If I try this later in the day, the beetles usually fly  off before they fall into the pail.  Last year around this time I  went out every morning about this time and would knock off 50 or more  from my raspberries.  (I don't have the problem this year because  I tore those canes out, they never produced a single berry for me,  though I think it may have been more of a poor variety choice than the  beetles.)  
  
  Around here, they also seem to especially like pole beans.  I caught a few in mine there this morning.
  
  Hanging Japanese beetle traps seem to work, though since they attract  through a pheromone you don't want to hang them too close to your  plants, otherwise more beetles may be attracted to the  area.   Milky spore may also help keep your population down,  though that's a long range strategy.
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  Melinda McCuan

 
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