North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> So interplant shrubs/perennials that bloom at forsythia time to 
> attract the Spring Typhia to the area needed. Good plan!

You might be interested in this discussion on the GardenWeb forum 
(http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ipm/msg0821155514944.html?13).

In part, it says, "To increase the number of Tiphia vernalis near you, 
and thus increase their toll on the JB grub population, Prof. Potter 
suggests that you should PLANT PEONIES. ... The attraction of Tiphia 
vernalis to peonies is very specific: "We screened dozens of other kinds 
of spring-blooming flowers and most of them did not attract appreciable 
numbers of Tiphia." The Tiphia are attracted to "honeydew" produced by 
aphids and scale insects (that live on foliage of many types of plants), 
but not to flowers other than peonies."

It also says that the effect on Japanese Beetle numbers is likely to be 
minor, but it says that about all the control methods discussed. I know 
nothing about any of this myself, you understand. I just stumbled across 
the discussion.

Bill

--
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a 
religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal