![]() ![]() Happy Fourth of July and thanks for reading. Here is the link to listen to this recording. So this time around we discussed hydrangeas and cold tolerance, specifically the impact of weather and what we can do about it. As one of the country’s most recognized and trusted leaders in gardening and green-living, I often look to Joe via his many communication vehicles (podcasts, classes, symposiums, etc.) for guidance on an array of gardening topics/issues. I recently had to opportunity to do a podcast with Joe Lamp’l, the “Joe” of Joe Gardener. Those of you who have my international best selling book, Success With Hydrangeas can simply go the section where I cover this in greater detail. YUK!!!Īll of the above should give you a good start on handling Japanese Beetles on your hydrangeas (and throughout your garden). But then you have to remember to empty it regularly or else you will draw predators like skunks who like to eat the beetles. If you can set the trap up very far away, you might consider it. You’ll end up with more beetles than if you didn’t have the trap. Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) adults are about 13 mm in length and easily identified by their bright, metallic green head and thorax, metallic brown to copper wings tinged with green edges and six tufts of white hairs along either side of the abdomen (). That’s because those traps (which are very effective) actually will draw the insect to your plant/property. Notice that I didn’t recommend using commercially available Japanese Beetle traps. Good trap plants are four o’clocks (poisonous), larkspur (poisonous), castor bean (poisonous), borage, marigolds, light colored zinnias, and white roses. Just be aware that what is poisonous to the Japanese Beetle can be harmful to people and animals as well. Some of these plants have the added benefit of being poisonous to the Japanese Beetle. ![]() You can use the plants as traps to make hand picking them easier. Japanese Beetles are attracted to certain plants. Doing this sooner in the season rather than later is also important since when Japanese Beetles find a plant they like, they send out a scent signal (pheromone) so other Japanese Beetles can join the party. You just drop them into a container of soapy water and they perish. Done early enough in the season, this can reduce egg laying, further decreasing the grub population. This is very effective especially in the early morning when cooler temps make Japanese Beetles lethargic. PART ONE for Japanese Beetles on Hydrangeas Hand Picking But don’t forget that they can and do fly in so stay vigilant. That’s where you can make the most headway for the future. Part two is to address the grubs which will take up residence after the feeding is over. Part one is to go after the adults in the current season. But there are effective options for you that won’t have negative impacts, except on the targeted pests. Unfortunately, most of those products are harmful to bees and other pollinators as well as soil dwelling microbes. Now I know some of you just want to apply some compound/chemical to make them go away and/or kill them. My first instinct was to destroy them which I did. We were at 1204 GDD when I first saw them. The UMaryland site explains it all (probably more than you want to know). GDDs are essentially a way to measure the change in temperatures that are tied to insect development and emergence. For those of you who aren’t familiar with GDDs, here’s a good site/link for you from University of Maryland Extension. ![]() If you follow the Growing Degree Day (GDD) science, you know that these pests appear anywhere from 950-2150 GDDs. As you can tell, I’m not a big fan of using milky spore disease powder: it’s too expensive for the minimal control it achieves.Have you found any Japanese Beetles on your hydrangeas yet? I have and I am not surprised. Remember too that Japanese beetles in your landscape may be flying in from your neighbors’ untreated lawn or pasture. Even if you apply the disease spores properly in mid- to late summer, it takes a couple of years to become effective. At this time of year, grubs are digging deeper into the soil preparing to go dormant for winter. You must also have an active population of Japanese beetles in the first few inches of your soil. The soil temperature map for Georgia, shows that soil in your area is rapidly cooling. Milky spore disease works best when soil temperatures are above 65 degrees. Even if you do have Japanese beetles, it’s getting really late to apply it. Milky spore disease does not control chafer beetle grubs. Japanese beetles are not typically attracted to lights but chafer beetles are. Q: Is it to late to apply milky spore this fall? I had lots of beetles flying around my outdoor lights in summer.Ī: Your first step is to identify the beetles you saw around the lights. ![]()
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