Does anyone have any tips for keeping Japanese beetles from turning your hop leaves into swiss cheese? I am picking 50 or so off two second year plants each day with a bucket of soap water, but I fear I am not able to keep up. I am pretty bummed they looked awesome until these critters came out of the ground.
-Tony
Keep picking them and maybe get traps that you put quite a bit away from them. Apply milky spore to any grassy/lawn areas: this won’t help this year but will have a dramatic effect next year and years to come. Also, try to keep the plants as healthy as possible otherwise by giving them compost/compost tea and organic fertilizer and water deeply once or so a week if no rain. You weren’t going to get much hops this year so if you can keep them healthy enough they will still be putting down roots as long as there is enough leaves for photosynthesis to still happen and the milky spore should do the trick for next year, when hopefully you will get some hops.
+1 to Milky Spore. I applied it to my lawn earlier this spring and I believe that it was very effective already (I’ve seen a notable drop in mole activity). I’m in CT, so I’m not sure if the buggers have appeared here yet, but so far so good. It should increase in effectiveness over a few years as the bacteria spreads through the soil, but I’m already pleased with this decision. It isn’t cheap - but at least it won’t nuke every living creature in the soil like most commercial products out there.
Thank you. I’ve ordered some Milky Spore and will apply this week.
-Tony
I like to keep things organic when I can, but I didn’t get my J-beetle problem under control until I started using grub treatment on my lawn. After I got that added into my lawn program my Japanese beetle problem disappeared the next season.
Neem oil works for the ones you have now, but you need to apply it often (1-2 times a week, plus after every rain). You should see a reduction in damage, but it’s certainly not a total cure.
I would be leery of getting the traps. They attract the beetles and although you’ll get a lot in your traps you’ll also get a lot of them munching on everything in sight before they venture into the trap.
Although I know you wish to go organic, Malathion works well, but I don’t know if it’s labeled for hops. Be sure to read and follow directions on all pesticides.
IMO traps are effective if you have enough space to put them say, 50 yards away in a couple directions from where you are having problems. Otherwise I agree that if you put them close by they will attract the bugs. Milky Spore is organic and very effective so I don’t think the chemical pesticides are a good choice.
I always tell people to buy the traps and give them to their neighbors as presents.