North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[nottke1 <nottke1@earthlink.net>]

For those of you suffering through a plague of Japanese Beetles, I offer you 
HOPE, but no RECIPE, for their disappearance.
I have been here west of Winston-Salem, NC, for 12 years.  The Japanese 
Beetle (JB) population was high when I arrived, congregating mostly on wild 
cherry, grape, hydrangea, and roses.  Over the next few years I planted 
plums, peaches, apples, raspberries, blackberries, and more grapes.  For 
about three years I had to spray Sevin about three times between late June 
and mid-August to avoid compete defoliation of plums, new grapes, and 
raspberries.  Then about 2003 the JB population eased a bit, and the 
population of Assassin Bug (Arilus cristatus) built up - and I would place 
any early season Assassin Bugs that I encountered onto the hydrangeas, where 
I avoided spraying Sevin because they were in with so many other flowers.  
The Assassin Bugs prefer JB and by late July the ground under one large 
Oakleaf Hydrangea was paved with JB shells, while five or six Assassin Bugs 
roamed the large bush looking for more.  [Handle Assassin Bugs with care - 
their lancet will go right through a finger.]  We reached a tolerable JB 
equilibrium until last year, when I won the war without knowing why.
In 2007 the JB started to appear in mid-June as usual, but by mid-July the 
population was steep decline.  This year I have counted 4 Japanese Beetles on 
our property, but I do not know why they have disappeared!  I have avoided 
commenting earlier because I feared the just after I hit the SEND button, 
they would all emerge at once. 
Was it last year's record heat and almost record drought?
I live on a 100 acre farm and we use only the minimum pesticides needed to 
grow corn and soybeans, well away from the yard.
The Imidan sprays on the orchard trees are done only at first pink and petal 
fall, six weeks before JB start to emerge.
BTW I have only found a few Assassin Bugs this year as well.
Was it normal population "boom and bust"?  If so, what caused it, and will 
they rebound?

Any and all comments welcomed.
Jim Nottke


Jim Nottke
Pfafftown, NC