Japanese Beetles

June--July--Japanese beetles! We didn't have as many at our place last year as there had been in the past, and that was certainly a welcome relief. Our family still laughs, though, about our experience with these iridescent beetles about ten years ago. We hadn't had problems with them before that summer, but I believe they must have just moved into Indiana on their journey west, and they surely liked what they found here. Beetle traps were being marketed with much success. I thought these traps sounded like a very good solution to the problem because they lured beetles to the trap (with the scents that attract beetles to other beetles), they fell into the plastic bag, and then you could then dispose of them. Japanese beetles came by the thousands to visit our yard! I'm sure they came from miles around! We ran out of the bags that came with the traps, so we improvised and began using bread wrappers. The directions for use of the trap did not tell how to dispose of these beetles (a young friend told us on very good authority that they tasted somewhat like popcorn), but we decided to try cremation. However, that must have required a hotter fire than we could generate, and after a certain length of time the odor became quite noticeable. Ultimately we resorted to common burial. Japanese beetle traps are still marketed, but I don't recommend that you rush out to buy one! Handpicking beetles is an effective method of control. Early in the morning pick or shake the beetles off into a bucket of soapy water. It isn't too hard a task to bury just a few!