Organic Control of Japanese Beetles

07/03/2007
One of the biggest pests which we have to contend with in July is Japanese beetles. Since a good portion of our business conists of cutting herbs grown in outside beds for restaurants, beetle damage can be expensive.

Over the past 15 years, we have tried every Japanese beetle control known to man. The three most effective controls in our experience are:

1. guinea fowl: these birds look like a cross between a chicken and a turkey, and make one hell of a racket when they are frightened. However, they act like living vacuum cleaners, gobbling Japanese beetles as they wander down the rows of garden beds.

2. milky spore: by applying this on our entire farm in March or April, we have succeeded in putting a real dent in the number of Japanese beetle larvae that hatch in June and july. The reduced numbers of beetles cause less damage and are easier targets for the guinea fowl.

3. row covers: lightly woven polystyrene row ocvers, which resemble a very light sheet, can be draped over crops especially susceptible to beetle damage (like grapes and basil) until after the Japanese beetle season is over.

One final note. We have found that the so called Japanes beetle traps increase, rather than decrease, the problem. Unless your neighbors take similar control measures to you, all you are doing with putting out traps is attracting your neighbor's beetles!