North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[BRosholdt <rosholdt@erols.com>]

Here in Central Virginia I have been fighting a steadily losing battle 
against the Japanese Beetle.  Skeletonized apple trees and completely 
eaten peaches were last year.  I had put Milky Spore down last fall, and 
this year put lures on the traps (the beetles will go in the traps 
without lures but lures help the numbers go up that go in).  I also put 
down HB Nematodes.  Surround helped, but as I am part-time (weekends 
only), the spraying requirement got way ahead of me. 
Milky Spore I did not have a lot of  and may get some more and try again 
if I see not results in the next 5 years, but I have high hopes that the 
nematodes will do the trick.  They are a bit pricey, but I  have only 
about 3/4 of an acre to cover if you count the lawn (and I must).  I 
lucked out.  It rained in the morning, I sprayed them around in the 
early afternoon [in the heat], using a backpack 3 gallon sprayer (20 
gallons total).  It killed me when I thought I might have to go out and 
water the things in, but then it started raining and didn't really let 
up much for several days.  I'll bet those nematodes are kicking some 
beetle butt!  However, the already-hatched adults did their usual stunt 
and my peach crop turned to nothing.  I am keeping notes on which apple 
trees have less beetle damage.  The pears seem impervious.

Something got the bags off the few peaches I managed to bag and ate them 
too.  However, while the bags were on (these were quartsize plastic 
ziploc bags with a little hole in the bottom) the peaches looked better 
and better.  Next year, I'll try stapling the zipper so it is not so 
easily opened.

Oh, well, there's always the PawPaws and the Persimmons, and a few 
apples.  The gold raspberries outgrew the JB - I got a great crop, but 
they did too.  Maybe I'll reduce the summer gold production and harvest 
them after the JBs go to bed.

Barbara Rosholdt
Zone 6b-7a central Virginia