Summertime Blues

Summertime, but the livin’ ain’t so easy. The heat ratcheted up all over the country, but here in the Midwest we have our own version: heat with humidity. And with all the rain, the humidity is miserable. So. What did I do yesterday? I mowed.

Yes, indeedy, I mowed about 3 of the 4 acres here. You see lots of things when you mow from the deck of a John Deere. One thing I saw was the source of my Japanese beetle problem. They have infested my cherry trees, with the peaches as their close favorite. The peach fruits were dipped in covering of beetles… sort of like the way apples in caramel look. Only from these a cloud of disturbed beetles arose as the mower passed by. I’m talking about Biblical plague proportions of beetles.

This is a new phenomenon for me… but I knew right away that little jars of kerosene with hand picking sure wouldn’t be doing the trick here. You are saying “smart girl” right about now, eh?

I have looked up control methods and among the biologically safe ones are:

Nematodes–Insect-eating nematodes–microscopic parasitic roundworms-

-actively seek out grubs in the soil. These nematodes have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with a single species of bacteria. Upon penetrating a grub, the nematode inoculates the grub with the bacteria. The bacteria reproduce quickly, feeding on the grub tissue. The nematode then feeds on this bacteria and progresses through its own life cycle, reproducing and ultimately killing the grub.Nematodes–Insect-eating nematodes–microscopic parasitic roundworms–actively seek out grubs in the soil. These nematodes have a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with a single species of bacteria. Upon penetrating a grub, the nematode inoculates the grub with the bacteria. The bacteria reproduce quickly, feeding on the grub tissue. The nematode then feeds on this bacteria and progresses through its own life cycle, reproducing and ultimately killing the grub.

The two nematodes that are most effective against Japanese beetle grubs are Steinernema glaseri and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. The latter is commercially available.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)-

-Bt is a naturally occurring soil bacterium typically used as a microbial insecticide. The Bt strain registered for the Japanese beetle is for use on the grub stage only.

Milky Spore-

-Milky spore is the common name for spores of the bacterium Bacillus popillae.

Parasites

Tiphia vernalis, a parasite of the Japanese beetle grub, and Istocheta aldrichi, a parasite of the adult

Tiphia vernalis– small, parasitic wasp of Japanese beetle grubs

Istocheta aldrichi–solitary fly is an internal parasite of the adult Japanese beetle.

Habitat Manipulation

Sometimes people can suppress the population of pest insects by making the habitat less suitable for them. Cultural methods typically employed in the control of the Japanese beetle include planting resistant plant species and using mechanical traps designed to attract and trap the adult beetles.

All the above information is from USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

My first step is to try the traps… many traps in the infested trees. I will have to buy some of the grub targeting bacilli, obviously. I guess it makes sense to start applying it under the tree areas.

Sigh.

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