with Advanced Master Gardener Steve Kruse
Summer and July have arrived. To some that means hot weather, swimming and cookouts, and to others it means fireworks, Bristol Homecoming, and the county fair. To me it means Japanese beetles. The beetles are out and most places they are in large populations. The adult beetle will eat and damage many landscape plants. The second, and to some the largest problem with the Japanese beetle is the white grubs. While the beetles are eating our landscape plants they lay thousands of eggs which will hatch later in summer and fall. When the eggs hatch the larvae, white grubs, will eat the roots of our turf grass. The damage in the lawn can be huge. There are several steps we can take to limit the damage to our plants and turf.

To control the adult beetles from damaging our landscape plants spray with an insecticide. Fertilome Carbaryl is a great product. This product will kill the beetles, along with other damaging insects, while being very safe on all plants. This product can be used on flowers, trees, shrubs, and vegetables. By spraying the plants and killing the beetles we also are limiting the damage to the plant and also reducing the number of eggs, white grubs, in our turf. Carbaryl is the most widely used product but most any insecticide labeled safe for plants will kill the adult beetle. Be sure to read the label or ask about the product at your local garden center.

To control the damage in the turf from the hatching eggs and their larvae now is the time to apply Hi-Yield Kill A Grub to the turf. This product is a systemic product. That means when applied to the lawn and watered in the plant will absorb the material through the roots. The product will remain active in the plant for 90 days. When the beetle larvae hatch they will feed on the grass roots, which contain the Kill A Grub, and ingest the chemical and die. If the material is not applied the larvae will eat, grow, and kill large areas in the turf. It can take lots of dollars and time to repair the damage from the larvae. If you see many beetles in your landscape be sure to apply Kill A Grub now. July is the best time to apply this product.