Japanese beetles are a serious pest with a big threat! They feed on turf and ornamental plants causing great damage. Grubs will feed on the roots of grass while the adults feed on the foliage. Japanese beetles do not discriminate on what types of plants to feed on, in fact they are classified as a pest to over 300 different species and they are one of the most major insect pests in the Eastern US causing monumental damage to crops each year.

Japanese Beetles are about ½ inch in length and have metallic blue-green bodies, tan wings, and small white hairs lining each side of the abdomen. They lay eggs in the soil during June, which develop into tiny white grubs. These grubs will remain under wraps for about 10 months and grow in the soil. They emerge from the soil as adult beetles and begin feeding the following June. They will usually attack plants in groups which is why the damage is so severe. Although the lifecycle of the adult Japanese beetle is around 40 days, it can cover a lot of ground.

There are several things you can do to get rid of Japanese beetles and keep your plants from being destroyed.

- Select plants for your yard that Japanese Beetles will not be attracted to. If you are unsure of what these are Complete Home Services will be happy to assist you.

- While in the grub stage of late spring and fall spray the lawn with 2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing soap diluted in 1 gallon of water per 1,000 square feet. The grubs will surface and the birds will eat them. Make sure to spray once each week until no more grubs surface.

* Note - This will kill adult Japanese beetles only if it is sprayed directly on the beetle. It does not have any residual effect meaning that the beetles that aren’t sprayed directly will not be harmed.

- Hand pick the beetles. This is one of the most effective way of getting rid of them, but it is time consuming.

- Purchase parasitic nematodes and cover the soil around the area where you have the problem.

- Put down a dropcloth in the early morning then shake them off into a bucket of soapy water.

- Spray with insecticides labeled for use on adult Japanese beetles. These sprays will kill on contact and also have some residual effect. Keep in mind though that these sprays will kill more than just the Japanese beetles so use them only for extreme infestations.

- Set Japanese beetle traps in your yard. Be aware though that by setting traps you are actually attracting more beetles to your yard.
Contact Complete Home Services for any questions or issues regarding Japanese beetles and keep your yard beautiful this spring.

VistaScapes is a Complete Home Services division providing Landscape Design, Installation, Maintenance, Fertilization, Sod Installation, Turf Seeding, Mulching, Lot Cleanup, Erosion Control and Retaining walls. Serving Union County Georgia, Fannin County Georgia and Towns County Georgia. For your Home Maintenance needs visit our Complete Home Services website at www.CompleteHomeServicesUSA.com