Rose beetles

[YurtGirl]

I've been diligently going out at night 'picking' these beetles from our heliconia, ice cream tree and even the thorny bushes. So far I've picked somewhere in the neighborhood of 150!! I noticed the plant's leaves going all skeletal and went out there at night, there they were, tons of them, just munching away. A bit smaller than a dime, brown, their eyes glow red in the light, when you touch them they drop off the leaf and take flight, making it easy to catch them w/ a water bottle strategically placed underneath. They come out at night, burrow down in the day. Kind of like the smaller beetles that swarm once a year, but far more damaging to actual plants. Anyone deal w/ these before? Have a way of getting rid of them/keeping them gone, other than picking? Mahalos~~

[jade]

Is this it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle

You have to spray insecticidal soap or seven in the evening when they come out.

[james weatherford]

When our trees were smaller (and one night of beetle chewing could be a disaster) we had lots of mulch under the trees. Citrus, as well as a hau tree, seemed to be especially vulnerable.
Chickens started scratching in this mulch.
I put some brush on the mulch to keep the chickens from scratching.
The beetle damage got worse.
I took away the sticks, the scratching resumed and the beetle damaged receded.
So, I then took the sticks off of a few trees showing worse beetle damage for a few days then piled the mulch up again and took the sticks off a few more trees, etc.
In general, with the trees bigger and some chickens still roaming, beetle damage is no longer a major problem.


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[Ironman]

Hey Folks:

I am in the eastern part of the US and these are a real problem but I have found several ways organically to greatly reduce the adult population and prevent damage to roses etc.

These beetles lay their eggs in in turf grass or soil where the larva go through several instar development stages. There are products to kill them in the soil but they are VERY toxic so I don't recommend them.

I prefer to be as natural as possible and both the commercial and home made versions below work really well.


Commercial:
http://www.geekbro.com/index.cfm/p/v/824...GoogleBase

Home Made:
http://dkmommyspot.com/how-to-make-your-...etle-trap/

Happy gardening,


Will Peratino

[YurtGirl]

Chinese Rose Beetle, not the Japanese one.... here's a link:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http...20copy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.honolulurosesociety.org/pests.html&h=320&w=265&sz=52&tbnid=qHr-Z-uACrS2KM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=98&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchinese%2Brose%2Bbeetle&zoom=1&q=chinese+rose+beetle&usg=__RFSkByyZdF3V9NLJrs0iLWMemg8=&sa=X&ei=9bnuTLT7L5CusAOeluCeCw&ved=0CCAQ9QEwAg

I'll try the trap, though I suspect it will get filled w/ fruit flies in short order, allowing the beetles to fly away... Thank you for the suggestions! I'd rather not use chemicals.

[emilysteng]

Chinese rose beetles are a major problem for us at the nursery. For non edibles in pots you can apply granular insecticide - imidacloprid - to take care of it. For edibles you can spray Carbaryl. That's the only thing that has worked for us. But you have to spray regularly or they will be back! you can spray the ground too.

We haven't really tried traps and such. We have wild chickens everywhere and that doesn't seem to help at all. A good natural method would be nice - I'd prefer it too.

[YurtGirl]

Thanks Emily! I'll try that! I've seen a significant decrease by hand picking. Kind of therapeutic out there w/ my head lamp, winding down from the day, able to actually catch and contain these particular pests... Sometimes I envision them as certain politicians or rude people... New therapy to market, eh?! Charge people to pick 'em! lol~~

[emilysteng]

You're welcome! I know insecticides are a last resort - but unfortunately that is the only thing that has worked for us. I wanted to try traps and this thing called milky spore - but they're all made for japanese beetles - not the chinese ones we have here. And the chinese and japanese ones are completely different insects.