first japanese beetle trap

[pianistimo]

yes. i did it with my own two hands.  i actually put something together right.  i'm so happy.  although i couldn't stand and admire it because it would land me in the hospital supposedly.  smelling the bait is harmful.  they are very potent with 'sex hormones' of japanese beetles and then some sort of killing potient.  went to check on it and sure enough - those beetles are very sex charged.  the only thing i'm wondering about is the piece of tin i put above the trap on the top of my tomatoe plant wiring to keep the rain from going in the beetle trap.  a few beetles are buzzing on top of it - and i hope they don't keep the sexual tension at an all time low because they are on the wrong side of the trap.  hopefully they will go down below and get sucked into the never never land of beetle pheromones.

just checked it again and the wind had twisted the middle section.  had to untwist it and pull it apart so that the beetles would stay in the bag.  wow.  those traps really work!  we have an infestation of japanese beetles here.

[thalbergmad]

[pianistimo]

you might think so - but, i'm seeing some dead trees around here.  everyone thought it was too much rain - mold, or whatever - but, they're killing trees, crops, flower beds.  supposedly hydrangias are on their 'don't eat' list - but the leaves on mine were full of holes.  and, a few other types of flowers.

here are some to plant near crops to keep them away naturally (supposedly):

ageratum, arborvitae, ash, baby's breath, garden balsam, begonia, buttercups, caladium, carnation, chinese lantern plant, cockscomb, columbine, coralbells, coralberry, coreopsis, cornflower (sunflower?), daisies, dogwood, dusty-miller, euonymus, false cypresses, firs, forget-me-not, forsynthia, foxglove, hemlock, hollies, hydrangias?, junipers, kale, lilacs.

i can attest for them not eating my forget-me-nots, sunflowers, and junipers.  also, small flowers such as daisies, baby's breath, etc.  but they have really liked my hollyhock.  it's maddening because they replant themselves and i wanted to use the seeds - but it seems that these beetles like this plant.

[pianistimo]

there is a natural predator to these beetles - but i don't know what it is. 

aha.  starlings.  they are the only birds known that eat the beetle.  not sure which ones eat the grubs in the grass.  that can be a problem too.

some people say that for crop damage control to plant a 'trap crop' or one that you don't care about.  they suggested grape vines against a fence.  apparently the beetles prefer the grape vines to the other crops and get side-tracked.

[timothy42b]

All pianistimo posts eventually relate to sex or religion, sometimes both, but I didn't really expect gardening to go there.