Prevent Japanese Beetles from Damaging Your Landscape Investment
Quick Facts
- Japanese beetles like to eat the same kinds of trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables that you like to grow
- Japanese beetles come from grubs that eat your lawn
- Bayer Advanced offers a full line of products that protect your landscape from attack
Problem/Diagnosis
Japanese beetles, which can destroy flowers, trees and shrubs, were first found in the United States in 1916 near Riverton, New Jersey. Since then Japanese beetles have spread throughout most states east of the Mississippi River. However, partial infestations also occur west of the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Adult beetles eat the leaves and flowers of more than 300 plants by chomping away at the tissue between the veins, a type of feeding called skeletonizing. The Japanese beetles’ favorite foods are also some of your favorite vegetables, trees, plants and flowers.
Japanese Beetles’ Favorite Foods
- Asparagus
- Beans
- Birch
- Blueberries
- Corn
- Crape myrtle
- Grapevines
- Hibiscus
- Honeysuckle
- Linden trees
- Maples, including the Japanese maple
- Morning glory
- Okra
- Privet
- Rose bushes
- Raspberry leaves
- Crabapples
- Peaches
- Plums
- Strawberries
- Sunflowers
- Sycamore
- Tomatoes
- Willow
- Wisteria
- Zinnia
And to make matters worse, Japanese beetles start out as white grubs that eat the roots of your lawn. Here’s how the grub-to-beetle life cycle works and how the white, worm-like larvae wipe out your lawn:
Grub-to-Beetle Life Cycle of Destruction
- From March to May, grubs wake up from winter. They start chomping on grass roots, killing your turf piece by piece.
- From May to August, the grubs turn into beetles that come out to feed on your garden foliage and flowers. After their feeding frenzy, they lay their eggs all over your lawn.
- Beginning in mid-July and lasting through October, the eggs hatch into new grubs, and the cycle of feeding and destruction starts all over again.
Diagnosing Grubs in Your Lawn Before They Become Beetles
There are several ways to prevent an attack from Japanese beetles on your prized trees and plants. Each time you mow your lawn, check for:
- A general thinning and weakening of the grass
- A wilted or dried-out look to your grass, even when soil is moist
- Large, irregular, brown patches of grass
- Large patches of dead turf that can easily be pulled up like a piece of carpet, revealing the white C-shaped grubs
- Birds, raccoons, opossums, skunks or moles frequently digging into your lawn
Solution
Stop Grubs in Your Lawn Before They Become Beetles
- Deliver a preemptive attack Bayer Advanced™ 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus Granules kills active grubs faster than any other product. Just apply using a spreader March ? May or July ? October when grubs are feeding on grass roots.
- Prevent grubs in your lawn Bayer Advanced™ Season-Long Grub Control Plus Turf Revitalizer Granules with MERIT® is the leading grub solution that literally creates a protective zone in the soil to kill grubs before they do damage. One application protects for an entire season. It also revitalizes stressed lawns with essential nutrients. Pour the granules in your spreader and apply to your lawn starting in May.
Inside Out Protection
Protect your trees, shrubs and flowers before Japanese beetles and other pests damage them.
For Japanese beetles or other damaging pests you see on your plants:
Always read and follow label instructions.
Products Mentioned In This Article
Bayer Advanced