What's In The Jar? "Beetle Juice"?

Do your neighbor a favor: prevent a grub and kill a beetle…

Since 1830, when a guy named Edwin Budding invented a lawn mowing gadget at a time when only the very wealthy could afford to maintain a lawn, there were grubs. From the 1800’s to the 2000’s and probably beyond, turf-lovers, lawn cultivators, and gardeners have always and will forever have to endure the persistent destructive force of the white grub and Japanese Beetle.

Grubs are insect larvae that live in the soil and feed upon roots and rhizomes. These are the very worst of the turfgrass pests because they are so difficult to control with surface-applied insecticides. To reach the insects, the insecticide must penetrate the turf, continue through the thatch and down, down into the soil. So be sure to rake and possibly de-thatch your lawn prior to treating it for pest problems like these, and water well so the insecticide will penetrate deeply into the turf.

The timeframe of the initial emergence of grubs varies throughout the country, but in the heartland, these dreaded parasites can appear from early to mid-June and peak in mid-July. Although the white grubs are young beetles, unfortunately, wiping out the grubs does not always solve your adult beetle problem. Why? That’s simple, because they fly! The flight of the adult Japanese beetle can take them as much as one or two miles around the neighborhood.

However, despite this issue of flight, prevention is a very good place to start and will certainly diminish your adult beetle infestation. To prevent white grub larvae from destroying your lawn in the first place, use our Greenview Grub Preventer and Killer (Mach 2). (This formula will also prevent damage from Northern and Southern masked chafer, European chafer, cutworms, armyworms and sod webworms). The recommended preventative process begins with minimizing the thatch. Then apply the product with a spreader prior to grub egg hatch (generally in late spring through mid summer). Especially if your lawn is in a drought condition, water it in thoroughly. If it’s too late for prevention, use Greeniew’s Grub Control (Dylox) as a curative. This product is an easy-to-use, clean granular formula that you apply after de-thatching and mowing your lawn. For a truly effective “cure,” after applying with a spreader, don’t forget to water in the product thoroughly so that the granules reach the soil where the grubs are hungrily feeding on the roots of your precious turf! For those in New York State, where there are certain restrictions, we recommend the use of Grub Control Dylox as a curative.

My Personal Beetle Story…

As for those pesky adult beetles, my own “beetle story” might be an amusing and illustrative tale. The use of Greenview Grub Preventer and Killer (Mach 2) is an excellent solution for the grub problem that  plagues our lawn year after year here in the Garden State. However, in my family, in addition to our strong love of the lawn, there is a tradition of rose cultivation. Maybe it’s because mom’s name is Marie Rose and as a gift to her, my father worked hard to grow the most beautiful varieties of tea roses with a scent that was at once amazing and relaxing. Their distinctive perfume made me recall those memorable evenings on the back porch with mom and dad, sipping iced tea and admiring his lawn and gardens and particularly the latest rose cuttings arranged in trumpet-shaped vases. Little did I realize the amount of time and effort that went into growing those precious rose bushes.

Several years ago, in memory of my dad and with uncommon enthusiasm, I began to plant my own rose bushes in the perennial garden that frames my lawn, and I expected a similar result of tender buds turning to the bloom of fragrant tea and heirloom roses each and every spring.

Instead, I quickly became engaged in the “Battle of the Beetle!” Just as the buds began to appear between the leaves of the fragile new rose buds, the adult Japanese Beetles appeared en masse! They munched on my rose bush leaves voraciously! I was losing the battle and my pock-marked roses looked nothing like dad’s. I will emphasize one point to you in particular—those expensive and smelly Beetle Traps don’t work!! They should re-name these contraptions Beetle resorts! These traps will attract beetle colonies from miles around and you will have so many more than you ever imagined! Only one thing works for me on these horrid adult bugs—I knock them off the plants one by one in early morning when they are most sluggish, and I collect them in a jar of soap suds.

I wouldn’t recommend this gorilla warfare tactic for larger gardens, but in smaller spaces, this laborious process may work for you. If you are lucky, you’ll get the roses you dreamed of, and you’ll also end up with a collection of beetle jars holding a solution that turns to pretty disgusting “beetle juice,” which you can discard or keep as a demonstration to all who ask you that inevitable recurring spring gardening question: “How the heck do you get rid of Japanese Beetles?”

Content and images courtesy of Rutgers University and Purdue University.

Submitted by J. Weinmann