Beetles killing my garden?

Question

I live in the Mid West. I am fairly new at gardening as I've only had my house 2 years. So this is my second season of gardening. This year my plants look like c**p and are getting eatin' up. I've been told it's more than likely beetles as they are bad this year. So what can I do to get rid of these pests. I have spent $$$ on these flowers and miracle grow. I'm outside every evening tending to the flowers. Only to get more frustatrated and upset to see the once beaufiful flowers dying off. The beetles are green. I know nothing about beetles or what to do. Any advice or experience with getting rid of these pests? I appreciate your responses! Thank You!

Answer 1

dish soap in water works great!I use it on my roses and it keeps the bugs off and away.

Answer 2

Try to find out what beetle it is, then search for natural ways to get rid of them.

Answer 3

same here. im from midwest and having the same problem. there are these shiny metallic beetles just all over the flowers and blueberries/rasberries at my house.

if have any more "$$$" to spend on plants get some pest conrtol. for ferns, if you put pencil shavings on them, the bugs are supposed to stay off :) im not sure if it works though. Try bad smelling stuff like old coffee grounds and plant them around the flowers(good for your soil too)

if you're up to a bigger project try staking up cheese cloth around the garden. The bugs might just eat through this but im not really sure.

i hope this helps!

Answer 4

That sounds like Japanese beetles to me. I am battling them myself this summer. I am a new homeowner and I spent a lot of money in the spring planting all sorts of bushes, flowers, and trees. Much to my dismay, the beetles are attacking my plants and threatening my investment.

I have done a lot of research online. I'm personally not comfortable with the thought of using pesticides, so my approach was to find ways to deal with the beetles in a non-chemical way.

My first line of defense is to pluck them off the leaves and drop them into a jug of soapy water. They die within a few minutes. You have to be careful when plucking them off the leaves because their tactic is to quickly freeze up and drop straight down, then fly off just before they hit the ground. So you have to sort of cup your hands beneath them and let them roll off into your hand. Close your hand quickly before they have a chance to regain their balance. It takes practice. Don't worry - they won't bite you and cannot hurt you.

My second line of defense is to place those scent traps around my yard. You have to place them a distance away from the plants you are trying to protect, to lure them AWAY from those plants. I have bought two brands of Japanese Beetle traps this summer - "Bag a Bug" and "Rescue." I have found that the "Bag a Bug" brand doesn't work in my yard, and that the "Rescue" brand has a better, stronger scent release system.

There are those who say that placing the scent traps around your yard only attracts more Japanese beetles to your yard, but the way I see it is that there is no way I could catch that many beetles by hand (thousands of them). And every beetle I catch and kill is one less beetle that is going to mate and lay eggs. So, future generations of beetles will not exist because of the combination of methods that I am using to get rid of them this summer.

Oh, and I did have one problem with the Rescue trap, and I came up with a solution... I found that after several days, the traps began to stink, due to the dead bugs in the bottom of the bag.

Unfortunately, the bag part of the Rescue traps cannot be replaced, and the smell of dead beetles is naturally repellent to Japanese beetles. Your only choice, according to the instructions, is to throw away the trap and buy a new one. That seemed wasteful to me, since the scent capsule is still going strong and is still attracting beetles. So, I came up with the idea of cutting the bag across the very bottom, and letting the dead (and living) beetles fall into a bucket of soapy water. Then I rinsed out the bag and rolled it up about an inch and put bag clips on it to hold it shut. Voila! -- just like new again! I have re-used my scent traps many, many times this summer without having to spend any more money on new traps!

Then I wait for the beetles to die in the bucket, and empty it.

I really feel like this combination of methods is helping to reduce the current (and future) beetle population in my yard.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

go to a local store in your town that carries garden supplies

and ask them what is best to kill the bugs, they work there and should know what works best in the midwest.

Answer 6

They are probably Japanese Beetles.  They are terrible in Indiana this time of year.  I have had a lot of trouble too until I ordered Milky Spore from Whatever Works Magazine.  It takes at least a year or two to get rid of them entirely, but I am beetle free now!  Just have patience.

Answer 7

get anti pestistide for your garden

Answer 8

Consider ordering a Praying Mantas egg for your garden.  They can be mail ordered and come to you on a branch along with instructions of where to place it in your garden.  I gurantee that your garden will not be plagued by bugs.

Answer 9

Grub Ex, By Scotts is the best solution for beetles.  You have to put it down early in the Season though. We didn't put it down early enough, now My oriental lilies are devoured by these little suckers. It is the grubs that transform into the annoying Beetles.

Answer 10

you tell those beetles to get the **** out of your garden or else you gonna **** those beetles up !! thats what you do. it always works for me it does.

orrrr put some peanut butter outside

they hate the smell

Answer 11

Try pest control.

Answer 12

I got a Beetles Album