APPLETON (NBC 26) — Earlier on Landscaping with Lauren, we discussed the emerald ash borer which is a destructive insect that destroys your ash trees. This week we introduced another common pest.
(The following is a transcription of the recorded interview, with additional details added for the website. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.)
Jeremy: A Japanese beetle is an insect that emerges out of the ground in early July, eats at certain plants, skeletonize leaves, it is a nuisance pest.
Lauren: How would people know that they have Japanese beetles in their yard or on their plants?
Jeremy: You're going to know it's in your yard if you see grub damage. When they're in the grub phase in the lawn, they will eat at the roots of the lawn, which could damage the lawn. If you get a dry period, it may not bounce back. When they're in adult phase, they eat at the leaves.
Lauren: Is there anything we can do? You know, if you start to notice the Japanese beetles on your house or in your yard, is it too late to do anything?
Jeremy: No. You can always spray. You want to spray where they are. You can do that preventatively in late June, early July, and then they're going to lay their eggs two to three weeks later. So then at that point, is when you want to do your turf insecticide and get that down so you can kill them before they start eating your lawn. Or you can wait until they're there and you know what plants they're on and spray them then.
Lauren: Are there certain plants that they like better than others?
Jeremy: Absolutely. They love fruit. Anything that fruits, grapevines, apple trees, crab apples. In terms of trees, they like birds, they like linden, they also really like roses. They eat about 300 different species of plants.
Lauren: Is it something that needs to be treated every year? You can. A lot of people do. It's just more as a preventative thing.
Jeremy: They do migrate about two to five miles a year, so they are migrating a little bit west, so there's different pockets. You know, last year, Freedom was bad.
Lauren: If you do notice that your plant has these beetles on them, is the plant eventually going to die, or is it just making it weaker?
Jeremy: It's just weakening. It’s more aesthetic, but it weakens it, which could mean other insects, pests, diseases could attack that plant.
