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Japanese beetles are back and leaving mark everywhere

Posted July 10, 2007 11:00 pm

Rob Baxter

They can travel miles from their in-ground home, eating their way wherever they go.

Their hard green shells and voracious appetites have become legendary across the Rock River Valley as they attack and destroy the leaves, flowers and fruits of some of your favorite and most prized plants.

The Japanese beetle is back and it's leaving its mark nearly everywhere.

The question on most homeowners' minds is: "How can I get rid of the colorful, pesky insects before they ruin the splendor of summer?"

"If you place a bucket of soap and water under the plant they are on, their defense mechanism is to drop to the ground and burrow," said master gardener Pat Bellezza, who annually contends with the insects at her rural home. "The beetles will drown in the soapy mix."

If that sounds too time-consuming, you're in luck. There are other alternatives. But each can come with its own set of concerns.

There are chemical, biological and organic treatments and odd-looking store-bought traps that feature a miniature hanging garbage bag. At the top of the contraption is a beetle pheromone that attracts the bugs and captures them in the bag, which can fill with thousands in a matter of hours.

Bellezza warns the use of chemicals will harm other beneficial insects and is not good for pets or humans. And the traps can draw the irritating bugs from miles around.

One thing most experts agree on is that while the bugs can strip the foliage and flowers of plants such as roses, they rarely kill the plants unless they already are weak or diseased.

"They can weaken the plants, but they usually don't kill them," said Tom Hartley, director of land and development at the Winnebago County Forest Preserve. "This year, it appears they are the same (in number) as they usually are."

In some areas of southern Illinois, however, the bugs showed up early and in alarming numbers. They've been the cause of great concern for gardeners and farmers.

Winnebago County Farm Bureau manager Roger Christin said it takes a lot of the bugs to damage farm crops and reduce the harvest.

"We've just started to see them here," said Christin. "Farmers have to decide if they want to spray to stop them. It's expensive; you have to do a cost analysis and determine if it is worth your while to spray."

David Ott, president of Rock Valley Greenhouse & Garden Center Inc., said people concerned about plants stripped bare or left brown by the imported bugs can turn to a variety of cures. Some affect the bug at its larva stage, others kill it as an adult. Some work quickly, some don't.

Still others come with added concerns about how they affect the surrounding environment, beneficial insects, humans and wildlife.

Thankfully, the scourge should stop soon, experts agree, and most plants will rebound.

Bellezza says another option is to grin and bear it.

"I'd say in the next three weeks, we'll see the number of beetles declining," said Ott.

Staff writer Rob Baxter can be reached at 815-987-1369 or rbaxter@rrstar.com.

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