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Subject: Re: japanese bettles
From: l-haynes@students.uiuc.edu (lisa anne haynes)
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 99 10:38:56
Message-ID: <MOD$990712.28080@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$990709.24089@rec.gardens.ecosystems> <MOD$990711.12696@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



Steve Rehrauer writes:

>karen howell wrote:
>> I have noticed japanese beetles buried in the dirt. Are
>> they leaving the soil to feast on the plants?

>Are you sure they're Japanese beetles? I've had problems in my central
>Massachusetts gardens with a beetle of the same size and similar
>appearance, but it's more a coppery-brown color than the jade/copper
>of Japanese beetles.

>I don't know what a long-term control solution is (there seem to be enough
>coming from surrounding yards that nematodes aren't a final solution).
>Short-term, I drench soil around ravaged plants with a liquid pyrethrins

A friend told me these beetles prefer smart weed (no idea what it is
really called, it's that weed with the flower that looks like tiny tiny
pink grape clusters) so to let that keep growing around the basil. That
is the only place in my field i don't have any! :)
I'll try transplanting some weeds (how counter to my existence!) and let
y'all know if it works as an emergency control.

lisa

--
l-haynes@uiuc.edu