UPDATE: Now that summer is winding down, I have time to reflect on how well my approach worked. Over all, I am very pleased with how well simply removing the Japanese Beetles by hand worked! It did take daily effort, but it was only a few minutes, once in the morning and once in the evening. After a few weeks, most of the beetles were gone. My trees lost only a few leaves. Now, I am not seeing any beetles at all. I am sure I will be seeing more next year, but I now have a go-to method to employ. I really enjoyed the slow, intentional pace of caring for the trees that will be feeding my family.
I live on a small, postage stamp lot in a small city. I have a garden of raised beds and a couple of plum trees. When the pest control companies come by to sell their services, I always say no. I really like all of my little pollinator, and pest control friends. The wasps, spiders, native pollinators, lady bugs, and praying mantis’, all help keep my plants producing food. They also help keep some of the garden destroyers under control. Sometimes, though, it is up to me to deal with a particular pest.
My sweet neighbor called to tell me that she was having an infestation of Japanese Beetles on her plants, and wanted me to know, so I could check my own.
Sure enough, I found them on my trees! Only one thing for me to do now, figure out the best way to deal with them. For me that means the least harmful to my other garden inhabitants. I like to find the old, tried and true methods of dealing with pests. The methods that existed before the incredibly toxic poisons that are so readily available now. After a quick search using my method for discerning if information seems reliable, I got to work. (More on my methodology later.)
The method I chose: Physically remove the beetles and drop them in a bucket of soapy water. My trees are young and flexible, so I don’t need to be on a ladder yet. I chose this method because it provided me with the best way of ensuring the beetles were gone. I’ve probably removed about 2 dozen beetles over the past couple of days. My trees haven’t escaped all damage, but I am keeping it to a minimum.
It means more work, yes. Part of being close to my food, and being close to the ecosystem that exists in my garden, means I work to preserve it. Also, I don’t mind the work. There is something very soothing in working methodically and slowly, being out in nature, touching my trees and helping them. I’ll let you know how well this method works out. There are definitely fewer beetles on my trees now than when I started.
What are some of the methods you use for natural pest control? Do you have a success story? Or maybe you have some hard earned wisdom about a method that absolutely failed? I would love to hear your stories! Please leave a comment below!