If you live in an area where Japanese beetles tend to swarm around your property in large numbers, you have likely wondered if there is anything you can do to eradicate their presence. Japanese beetles cause damage to all types of plants, making them a threat if you have a garden, flower bed, or foliage that you wish to keep intact. Here are signs Japanese beetles are present and steps to take to eliminate them.
Signs Of A Japanese Beetle Infestation
Japanese beetles have metallic greenish/blue heads and gold abdomens. They start off as small white grubs, which can be seen in the soil around plants. Their adult life is relatively short at only a month or two in length. While they are not a threat for a long period of time, they can destroy vegetation quickly, especially if there are several that are present on your property. Adult Japanese beetles will eat leaves on plants, leaving behind the skeletal vein portions. Younger grubs will feast upon the roots of grass blades, leaving behind brown, unsightly patches in your lawn.
Removing Beetles From Your Yard
An effective way to remove Japanese beetles is by hand-picking them from plants and the ground when they are noticed. Fill a bowl of water and add a few drops of dish detergent. Add the beetles to the bowl when they are found. The dish detergent weighs the beetles down so they cannot get out of the bowl. To keep these beetles off your plants, spray neem oil upon vegetation leaves. This does not destroy the foliage but will cause offspring of existing Japanese beetles to die off before they hit the adult stage.
Using Traps As A Beetle Control Method
Beetle traps are found at home goods or hardware stores. These are made with a pheromone that attracts beetles to the traps. Simply place the traps in areas where Japanese beetles were previously noticed and replace them periodically. Alternately, set out a bowl of fermented fruit placed inside of a bucket near your foliage. Fill the area around the bowl of fruit with water to drown any beetles that take the bait.
Contact A Pest Control Service
Instead of taking it upon yourself to spray down plants with any type of chemical agent in an attempt to kill Japanese beetles, it is best to contact a pest control service to do the job for you. This ensures your plants are not subjected to a solution that could cause them to perish. Contact a local pest control service to learn more.
Most pest infestations can quickly get out of hand if you do not address them. There is a reason people joke about "breeding like mice." You can go from having two mice in your home to having hundreds in a matter of weeks! When you think there are pests inside your home, you need to take control, and quickly. You take control by calling in a pest control professional. They can use a combination of trapping, poisoning, and cleanup methods to eradicate the pests. Learn more about these methods and about other pest control topics on this website, created to educate people like you about the pest control industry.