Beware the Bugs

Japanese Beetle - Photo by Erik Karits on Unsplash

This Week’s BatesRewards Sale: 15% off All* Plants, and bagged EarthMix® Garden™

They’re in your area, coming on wing and web to colonize your shrubs. Japanese Beetles and Bagworms have been spotted. Don’t freak out, this happens every year, and you already have what you need to manage them — if you don’t mind a little hands-on action. 

We had a guest this past week asking for Japanese Beetle traps, which we do not carry. Now, why is that? These traps work using a pheromone — a naturally occurring chemical that insects use to communicate with. There is no question about their efficacy, however many believe they work a little too well, bringing in beetles from over 4 miles away. This can create a problem. You run the risk of inviting over more bugs than the trap can hold, leaving them looking at your garden as a veritable buffet.

Bagworms present a similar issue. These well insulated insects travel by casting webs and floating on the breeze, hoping to land on your conifers. They don’t leave lacy leaves like Japanese Beetles, rather their feeding can cause sudden foliage damage or loss.

That leaves us with a good news/bad news situation. The bad news is that insecticides are not effective for either pest. Winged bugs can merely fly away, and the bag around bagworms is not penetrable by water, meaning no insecticide will reach the worm. However, this is a good thing, because you won’t accidentally kill helpful pollinators when treating these pests. The good news? I bet you already have what you need to get rid of them — a bucket, soap, and water.

Both of these problems can be solved with hand-picking and depositing the bugs in soapy water. Japanese beetles need to be picked early in the morning while they’re still sedentary. Bagworms can be picked any time of day, but earlier may be more enjoyable for you with the temps on the rise. It’s not a glamorous job, some may even consider it downright icky, but it is a targeted, effective way to reduce their numbers.

Lastly, you may want to refresh your memory as to what these insects look like. If you see a big green beetle, that is NOT a Japanese Beetle but a beautiful member of the scarab family!

That’s it for this week, friends. Tune in every Saturday at 8 am for Gardening Inside Out. Queue up the podcast for your next journey. Follow us on Instagram for the Know Down & questions answered. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Happy Gardening,

Sara Bates

*Sale is limited to BatesRewards Members only, builders/landscape contractors do not have access to sale pricing, Japanese Maples are excluded from this sale, in store only, through 7/2