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  • From: John McCuan <wawo@yahoo.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Skeletonized raspberries
  • Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 11:34:13 -0700 (PDT)



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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  • [NAFEX] Skeletonized raspberries, John McCuan, 06/17/2007

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