Japanese Beetle Control on Flowers, Shrubs and Trees
Hand picking of the beetles from infested plants may be helpful when only one or a few plants are involved. Drop them into a bucket of water containing some kerosene or oil.

Japanese beetle infestations occur in most North Georgia counties and are slowly moving southward each year. The metallic green beetles with white spots along the sides, feed on more than 200 kinds of plants including vegetables, field crops, ornamentals, grapes, fruit and landscape trees.

Adults usually begin emerging from the soil about June 15, with extremely heavy populations emerging in some areas by the end of the month.

Leaves look lacy…
Damaged leaves from the adults typically have a lacy appearance, since they eat out the leaf surface between the veins. Newly infested areas commonly have very heavy infestations for the first 4-6 years.
After infestations become well established, beetles seem to be heavier some years than others but we are not sure why this occurs. It may be that parasites and predators are more plentiful some years and help to reduce beetle populations.

Eggs deposited in early summer…
During June and July, female beetles deposit eggs in the soil of lawns and pastures. They soon hatch and the larvae (white grubs) begin to feed on the grass roots. Larval development occurs during the next 10 months, with the exception of winter, and a new batch of beetles occurs the following summers. Japanese beetles are good flyers, so they can go from plant to plant for feeding and into previously non-infested areas with ease.

The insecticide carbaryl (Sevin) is very effective for the control of the adults. Use two tablespoons of 50% wettable powder per gallon of water for ornamental plants and trees, and two to four tablespoons per gallon for vegetables. Follow the precautions and other instructions on the pesticide container label.

Don't become discouraged…
During heavy adult emergence, applications every other day may be necessary to reduce populations. Sometimes, people become discouraged and think they are not getting control, actually, beetles are emerging so rapidly and in such large numbers that they seem to overwhelm control measures for a few days.

Traps don't help control…
The Georgia Cooperative Extension Service does not recommend traps for beetle control. Traps were designed and developed only as a survey tool and not for control, but it is impressive to collect 1/2 gallon or more beetles from a trap. What many people do not realize, however, is that more beetles probably have been attracted to their property in the vicinity of the trap that would otherwise have occurred.