# I Hate Japanese Beetles **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 15, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105 "2009-07-15T13:40:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Socks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a8b319/32.png) [@Captain\_Socks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Socks)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/21 "2009-07-17T10:42:13Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Have you tried those bag-a-bug things? I seem to recall that they work well In my experience, the trap attracts more beetles than it catches. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/22 "2009-07-17T16:19:04Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Wouldn’t you just [eat them](http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Largest-Squirrels-Marmots-74434.shtml)? Nice try, buster. The last time somebody offered me some nice grubs, it took a week to get the damn radio collar off. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/23 "2009-07-18T07:54:04Z")
They’re leaving me alone this year, because it is cooler and wetter than normal. 🆒 A couple of years ago it was a different story entirely: the effers were everywhere, eating plants and biting me. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/24 "2009-07-18T12:50:57Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Have you tried those bag-a-bug things? I seem to recall that they work well. > [@Captain\_Socks](#): > > In my experience, the trap attracts more beetles than it catches. Seems the [University of Kentucky](http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef451.asp)agrees: > [@](#): > > Japanese beetle traps are sold in many garden centers. Commercially available traps attract the beetles with two types of baits. One mimics the scent of virgin female beetles and is highly attractive to males. The other bait is a sweet-smelling food-type lure that attracts both sexes. This combination of ingredients is such a powerful attractant that traps can draw in thousands of beetles in a day. > > Unfortunately, research conducted at the University of Kentucky showed that the traps attract many more beetles than are actually caught. Consequently, susceptible plants along the flight path of the beetles and in the vicinity of traps are likely to suffer much more damage than if no traps are used at all. > > In most landscape situations, use of Japanese beetle traps probably will do more harm than good. If you experiment with traps, be sure to place them well away from gardens and landscape plants. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/25 "2009-07-18T15:19:23Z")
I suppose White Male Beatles are OK with you? Racist! ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/26 "2009-07-18T16:16:22Z")
Not quite sure why this is in the Pit, but anyway, we’ve (knock on wood) not seen too many of the dang things so far this year. Although, some of the volunteer tomato plants that I let go do have lacy leaves, so maybe they’re just hiding from me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/27 "2009-07-20T01:49:19Z")
Seems like the traps could still be useful as flak. Put them near the plant you hate the most, or near the yard of the neighbor you hate the most, and distract them from the good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/28 "2009-07-20T03:24:44Z")
They are not Japanese beetles. They are Asia Pacific Islander beetles. You racist. ETA: Thanks, Zebra for stealing my thunder. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/29 "2009-07-20T14:26:33Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > They’re everywhere! Eating everything! It appears you’ve been visited by the [Japanese Beetle Fairy](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11357816#post11357816). I had to do that. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/30 "2009-07-20T22:01:14Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Has anybody tried Milky Spore? I have. It works well, but it has drawbacks. For one, it only works on the grubs, so if you’re already infested with adult beetles, all you’re doing is preparing for next year. And you have to reapply it pretty often. But, it is effective against the grubs if you use it correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/31 "2009-07-20T22:38:55Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Take a drive through Rocky Mountain National Park to Steamboat springs, and then let us know how you feel about the\*\* mountain pine borer.\*\* Now that’s an ugly little fucker, ain’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/32 "2009-07-22T05:42:14Z")
Racist! ---
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/33 "2009-07-23T05:00:13Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > Has anybody tried Milky Spore? It works but be sure to follow the instructions and apply it as many times as required. It takes a while to build up. I just wish I could get the whole block to use the stuff ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/34 "2009-08-22T11:46:21Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > They’re leaving me alone this year, because it is cooler and wetter than normal. 🆒 A couple of years ago it was a different story entirely: the effers were everywhere, eating plants and biting me. :mad: It is cooler and wetter here and that is why I thought we were having more beetles than ever. I use rose dust and that helped until the rain washed it off. Now I have a Bayer product that is rain proof after one hour and is supposed to last for 30 days. So far there haven’t been any more…time will tell. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/35 "2009-08-22T16:38:06Z")
If it’s the Bayer product I think it is, it worked once, for maybe three weeks, and the next time I tried it the beetles were back chomping within a few days. For some reason the Japanese beetles seem to have left/croaked/next generation burrowed into the ground early this year. I haven’t seen any significant numbers for a couple of weeks (usually they’re pestilential into early September). V-JB Day in mid-August - I can live with that. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/36 "2009-08-23T05:30:26Z")
I’ve hated those buggers ever since I woke up early one morning in my bed because I felt something trying to tickle my lips to discover one of those THINGS crawling on my mouth. Bear in mind that when I sleep, I tend to breathe through my mouth and you’ll get a better understanding of the horror this induced. I’ve hated almost everything with more than 4 legs ever since. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105/37 "2009-08-24T01:03:38Z")
> [@picker](#): > > I think they’re pretty decent. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Ku8WHPlX0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Ku8WHPlX0) Oh, so it’s not just a clever name. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-japanese-beetles/503105.md?page=1)