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  • From: BRosholdt <rosholdt@erols.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Japanese Beetle Traps
  • Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 10:45:12 -0400

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



  • [NAFEX] Japanese Beetle Traps, BRosholdt, 07/21/2006

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