Saturday, July 18, 2009

Oh, No! There Goes Tokyo!

Japanese Beetles – I HATE them! Utterly LOATHE them! As a summer intern years back at the Cornell Flower Trial Gardens our test geraniums would be devoured almost instantaneously. We’d always spray n’ pray (honestly not the most environmentally responsible approach) and normally it would do the trick if Uncle Bill had upped the pesticide’s concentration enough.


This summer at my parent’s house the choke cherry and weeping cherry trees have been eaten alive this summer by Japanese Beetles. At my boyfriend’s house his parents have nearly been eaten alive themselves. After some research for a pesticide-free control method, both Mumsie and Song decided to purchase Bag-A-Bug from the local Big Box Store. Within minutes of setting up the bags downwind from the infested plants, Japanese Beetles began piling in – the scent from the pheromone-infused hanger called out like a search light outside a frat house does to freshmen. The beetles rushed in to join the orgy and then die after they realized they could not leave the way they came in. Needless to say, the infested plants are much happier now that they are beetle-free, and Mumsie and Song are glad they used the pesticide-free bug bags at their houses to keep their families and dogs healthy and happy.


Although both Mumsie and Song purchased their Bug Bags at a Big Box Store, these and similar all-natural pest control products can easily be found at your local nursery and family garden center.


Rock on and plant on,

Stephanie


Song for the Garden: Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult

1 comment:

Unknown said...

A couple updates on the Japanese Beetle post:

According to Melissa Kitchen, the trial coordinator at the Test Gardnens mentioned that Uncle Bill had not sprayed to attack the beetles. My bad on making Uncle Bill out to be a bug killer (though I do know at times he does love his herbicides ;) ). Melissa also told me that this year it looks like only the Ipomoea and Sanguisorba seem to have JB problems. Good to know!

Also, Mumsie and Song are both on their second bags at their homes. Those Bag-a-Bugs surely do the trick!