Leaf Lace

Leaf Lace

Leaf Lace © 2011 Bo Mackison

The entire universe is concentrated in a garden.  ~ Sobin Yamada

The leaf may look lacy and rather pretty, but the source of the damage to this leaf–and millions more like it–is neither lacy nor pretty. The culprit is the Japanese beetle.  The beetles eat the soft material between the veins which gives the leaves a lacy effect.

Since first found in the United States in New Jersey in 1916, it has slowly migrated south and west, arriving in northern Illinois and Wisconsin 10-15 years ago. The beetle is found in every state east of the Mississippi except for Florida, and is capable of damaging a variety of vegetation including crops, weeds, and dozens of species of ornamental trees.

The Japanese beetle — not my friend! Whenever I see a beetle in my garden, I pick it off the plants and drop it into a pot of soapy water. It only partially helps, but at least I feel like I am doing something to protect my garden without resorting to potent sprays and poisons.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She passionately dislikes any and all insects that cause damage to gardens and trees.

I Hate Japanese Beetles!

Garden Pest

Japanese Beetle © 2008

The Japanese beetle has invaded my gardens and yard. They have been voracious this summer and really inflicted a great amount of damage. The beetles eat the surfaces of the leaves, but avoid the vein which remains intact, and therefore the foliage looks lacy. However, it is not a pretty sight to any gardener.

Lacy Leaf Damage

Lacy Leaf Damage on Filbert Tree © 2008

The beetle was first discovered in the United States in 1916, and it is thought it was accidentally introduced in New Jersey in imported Japanese iris. The beetles are controlled in Japan by natural predators, but are unchecked in the US. They are found in every state east of the Mississippi River, except for Florida.

The best defense in my smallish garden is removal by hand – yuk! There are traps using pheromones, but some studies show the traps can actually attract more beetles than they catch. I’m not one to use much in the way of chemical control if possible, but I”ve been using Bonide from Garden Naturals in the worst areas and that seems to have helped.

Anyone else fighting these pests successfully with other means?