Japanese beetles---a good reason to feel doomerish

Heineken

I have been fighting Japanese beetles (JBs) for years, often unsuccessfully, and feel that a specific thread on this subject would be useful for those who want to discuss their JB experiences or simply cry on others' shoulders.

The subject overlaps several areas, including vegetable gardening, fruit trees and berries, "where to live," survivalism, and perhaps even dieoff.

Every summer in most of the US east of the Mississippi, and now in some places west, billions of JBs emerge from the ground and take wing. Their appetites for plants are ogre-ish. They can ruin a field of corn in a week, defoliate a fruit tree in a couple of days, and lay waste to Grandma's prize rose blossoms in an afternoon. They are IMO a very, very serious threat to agriculture in this country, and one that needs more attention on this site.

Without heavy use of pesticides, growing of JB-susceptible food plants in traditional agriculture is difficult or impossible. For those of us who aim for "organic" gardening and permaculture, the JB poses a perhaps insurmountable obstacle to growing many particular food plants.

What will happen when the JB becomes resistant to the pesticides used in traditional agriculture? What will happen when traditional agriculture has collapsed, and we're all trying to grow food in our backyards and bug-out farms but have inadequate means to battle the beetle?

For the beetle is very hard to battle. Even harsh pesticides can be of limited value. They'll kill the beetles currently on your plants, but in a few days or a week or two, they're back. So you have to keep spraying, over and over, with all the negative consequences of that. In the future, of course, such pesticides may not be available.

Biological or mechanical controls, like milky spore disease, nematodes, birds, and the engineered nontoxic "barrier" product Surround, often have even less impact, at least when it comes to growing food. Even if you manage to control JB reproduction on your property, the little monsters simply fly in from elsewhere.

Where I live, the JB appears in early to mid-June and persists until the end of August, when it finally fades away. This unusually long period of infestation is one of the most overwhelming features of the JB.

The JB continues to extend its range westward (after having been introduced to the US---New Jersey---as an alien species in the early 20th century). Probably the only parts of the US that are safe from its eventual colonization are Alaska and the driest areas of the Southwest and Midwest. The beetle has moved farther north than was originally believed possible, and with global warming may range north deep into Canada. (Warming could also result in even worse infestations where the JB is already established.)

Many of our members have not been exposed to the JB yet, or are still on the fringes of infestation, and thus not yet experiencing full-bore assault. Perhaps that explains some of the relative complacency I have seen expressed toward the JB on this site.

The JB is another reason why I am a doomer.

Here is a link to a map of the geographic distribution of the JB as of 2005:
http://ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/jb/imap/jb2005.html
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---Me and my brother

Shannymara

Interesting map. We actually had them in central Oklahoma when I was there from 2000-2002, but not in overwhelming numbers. I haven't seen any here in east Texas - yet.
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Heineken

I have had some limited success with the "barrier" product Surround (a nontoxic, clay-like material you mix with water and spray onto plants). It does suppress (not eliminate) the JB if applied early in the JB season.

The problem is that, every time it rains, most of it washes off. So you have to keep spraying after every rain, a huge task if you have many susceptible food plants. And by the time the rain has dried, beetles have flown onto your plants and established their chemical signature that will attract other beetles to those plants for the rest of the summer, no matter how much you re-spray.

The wash-off problem with Surround is its Achilles heel. Also, it's fairly expensive, and there's no guarantee it will be available in the future.
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

BastardSquad · Heavy Crude Joined: Oct 24, 2004 Posts: 305

According to your map they're established(survey)in my area.

I'll keep an eye out for them this year.

I wander if they're edible? If they kill my crops(in a crash scenario)I'll have to eat something. Twisted Evil

I'm still feeling doomerish about the lack of honey bees,but what the hell,might as well add JB's to the list.
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Colorado-Valley · Intermediate Crude Joined: Aug 16, 2004 Posts: 719

Wait until you guys run into squash bugs.

Shock

frankthetank

I've never noticed them here along the banks of the Mississippi.

I do have rose chafers that eat the hell out of pretty much all my fruit tree leaves. I squished over 100 so i'm hoping there reproduction, atleast in my yard, is way down. Their eggs hatch in the soil and the larvae burrows deep into the ground (they like sand) emerging next year.

I wonder why they aren't around here?
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frankthetank

I've been reading a lot of posts lately about this bug (gardenweb/nafex) and don't like it. It might just be a matter of time before i'm dealing with it. Sounds like a good reason to rip out the lawn and woodchip it! Its pretty sad when you have to spend all day protecting your trees and plants form pests. Looks like they landed in UTAH...

PeakOiler

Sorry to hear ya'll are having a tough time with JBs. Fortunately they have not showed up in Central Texas, or at least I'm not aware of any JBs here.
The only plants that I'm growing which are having problems are the grape vines. The vines grow out ok, but the ants/aphids? invaded them and they seem to keep any fruit from producing. I haven't figured out yet how to fix that without using pesticides.

But shouldn't this thread be in the Pests thread above? Why should JBs get their own thread? Just asking...
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Heineken

Heineken

Heineken

A few of the posts already reflect the "complacency" I referred to in my opening post.

I'm telling you, this bug is different. It could cause you to abandon some of your gardening projects altogether. It could cause you to starve. And it's spreading west. It warrants a thread of its own.
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

snowshoegal · Tar Sands Joined: Oct 24, 2006 Posts: 99 Location: Canada

Here's a method that is sustainable: I surround certain beds with perennial nepeta (aka catnip). Nepeta repels a lot of bugs, (and my cats appreciate the bounty in the form of catnip ceegars come fall!)

Also, attracting cardinals to your area will help; they seem to love these tasty beetles. My neighbours and I are in a friendly, funny competition to see who can attract more of the red birds at our feeders, and hence help our garden beds.

I'll have a look at my organic gardening manuals and see if I can find more tips for you, H. I recall there is something about adding/cultivating nematodes that works on the Japanese beetle larvae before they turn into bugs, but cannot access it from here.

Heineken

It's true that cardinals eat some JBs. But it makes little difference, I'm afraid. I've done everything I can to encourage birds on my 25-acre property, but the JBs keep coming in relentless waves. The birds simply can't eat enough to make any noticeable difference.

Things like nematodes and milky spore would be useful only if everyone everywhere used them, since the JB can fly several miles. But on a large property it's simply impossible, not to mention unaffordable.

How much catnip would it take to protect an orchard against JBs? Mountains, if it worked at all, which I seriously doubt. Basically, they ignore such measures. They simply fly to your food plant and start munching, and strip it to the veins.

There is no defense against the JB, except pesticides used directly on plants you are growing. And Surround, if you're willing to respray immediately after every rainfall.

Eventually the JB will become fully resistant to pesticides, a process already well under way.

What happens is that, sooner or later, you simply give up trying to grow the things JBs like. Unfortunately, that leaves very little else to grow. (Tomatoes are one, thank God.)
_________________
"Actually, humans died out long ago."
---Abused, abandoned hunting dog

"Things have entered a stage where the only change that is possible is for things to get worse."
---Me and my brother

NoLogos · Tar Sands Joined: Nov 13, 2006 Posts: 68

Japanese beetle larvae are the fat white C-shaped grubs found under turf and grassy lawns. Heineken, perhaps these beetles are so prolific where you are because of lots of nearby lawns? I have only seen a few so far this year but I dug up most of my lawn last year.
/sarcasm on
Since they can be controlled by handpicking, after TS has HTF, it will be part of an exciting new entertainment package, gathering inedible beetles off of plants in a large garden again and again and again....

SpringCreekFarm · Expert Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 697

delete