We have roses, a japanese maple and crepe myrtle. These all have Japanese Beetles feasting away on them. How do I get rid of these pests permantly? Harry
I do not believe that there is any permanent solution. Unfortunately, you are growing some of their preferred plants. Check out the links cited in the following thread in the Maples forum: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=15814.
I concur with Laurie; even if you kill all the beetles in your yard, if your neighbors don't they'll just fly over the fence and keep feasting. Nonetheless, you might be able to reduce the quantity to a more manageable size if you try the Milky Spore treatment; I can't vouch for it personally as I haven't used it yet, but from all the reading I've been doing to solve my own Japanese Beetle problems, it seems like a good solution. It targets the Japanese Beetle larvae specifically, thereby reducing or eliminating adverse effects on other non-invasive insects.
