Japanese Beetle Grubs in my garden... Help please.

[Taryn237]

We treated with milky spore last year but DH was turning over the soil last weekend and we saw a grub.  From what I'm reading if our neighbors don't treat too (not likely) there really isn't a point to using the milky spore?  Should we just plant and not worry?  Are there any herbs or flowers that keep the adult beetles away?

Thanks :)

[mindymom]

Well, I know this advice isn't helpful now and won't work for many people who live in HOAs, but the best defense I've found against grubs is to let my grass go dormant in the summer.  The adult beetles will look for the nicest, greenest grass on the block to lay their eggs, so ironically the harder you try to keep a nice lawn the more grubs you will get.  Sorry, I know that's not terribly useful.

[Taryn237]

We don't live in a HOA but don't have a terribly big backyard and the kids need the space to play.  Mosquitos can get bad where we live too so I don't think tall grass is our best solution.  haha.  But thanks :)

[mindymom]

by dormant i meant brown and not growing, not unmowed.  in my area, restricting water and fertilizer during the summer months is enough to make most grasses go dormant mid-June through late August - I usually mow once or twice during this period, as needed.  it is a little ugly, i admit, but it always bounces back nicely in the fall.  hth

[Taryn237]

Oh that's not a problem.  We don't water our grass.  I think it's a waste of money  :)  Last year we had one green patch where we dumped the kiddie pool.  lol.  Thanks for the tip!

[RosieL]

I'm curious about these guys. I find ten to fifteen each time I dig around in my raised beds, pick them out and squash them. In two seasons of vegetable growing, however, they haven't harmed anything as far as I can tell. I grew tomatoes, herbs, cucs, summer squashes, mellons, peas, beans, lettuces, and more last year. What harm do these normally cause that I might be missing?

[mattemma04]

I am not sure if the spore would be a waste or not. I sometimes buy the bag-a-bug lures,and place them in the far corners of the property. I have read that if you can get/kill the first bunch of jap beetles(the scouts for food) then you will have less coming into your yard.  I either pick them and feed the beetles to my hens,or spray non-edbile plants with a mix of water and the dogs flea/tick shampoo. Personally I love seeing the hens gobble them down!

One year when I was removing a lot of grass for garden beds I found tons of grubs. Happen to have a robin close by so I kept throwing them to her. She kept coming back to get the grubs for her babies.

The grubs eat grass  roots. The jap beetles love my raspberry  and rose of sharon plants.Atleast they are easy to catch compared to the 4 lined plant bug.

Order a Gardens Alive catalog.They have a good selection of natural pest control options.