![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNG5OtTjUK05cPLsGrozuoo24cftTI5t4OZxIwxEBk3FbfHlymaU7x4cRlrgQtHYomFHz-hQDNdcNq6KgV6XgWvgdGYXw3B2HHXJYFd8wglEVEbKJeR7zCX5bo9_JiLz8lPiQq4DIF_oa/s400/July+Bugs+024.JPG) |
Basil feast! |
My friend Peter who is the camera man for my Better Connecticut TV stories often teases me about being a plant nerd. I've thought this myself, but never more than tonight.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjnuJXVKXC_BUf6e5o1mT55wmoqUY-tZnc2Tv5EKTk2LhyphenhyphenGNoiyf9kLEkLukXneUeKj1T_XMReebSzQ0bvST124Vu3b4SCg_KcTacsaOrWqDhhHplHpbo_AWZEYyhLRQznO9RS1_2npzY/s400/July+Bugs+020.JPG) |
Beetles emerge from the ground at night |
Something has been munching on my basil plants... for that matter my Coral Bells, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias and many others... but I never see ANY bugs around. Some bugs have vampire tendencies in that they only come out in the night time. Tonight I put on my L.L.Bean spot light hat and went out on a bug bust. Well, well, well look who I found! The Asiatic Garden Beetle. These devils look almost identical in form to a Japanese Beetle except for their coloring as they are all brown rather than green. They are also master defoliators, often just leaving the mid vein of a plant leaf. Most of my basil plants are mere skeletons! Gasp! Why did I wait so long?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQISgTehT73dzeU8Sa3T4tYnly3_Eg3jlLESZk8KXGAOSexm4yO7D-ofAVucWmP79RmfYayjxqnSAZgiIIlt12xxfg98nscGf1PrPsTkh8C6eijo2l6s1ikHWBMQ2OB_8L3m7ph88PSvH/s400/July+Bugs+028.JPG) |
A basil plant chewed to almost nothing |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_TJoS2KfMIRBNjFz4FeF__sLZirfQXb4kJ2cBIrpzmUUV87VkC7MJclxCmywx2Dud7sg4Qqzdc9jAYOywSyX1SCx7ZUGGC0ZkJIE6qAujf52ImHS01VcLriJhfjOlFZb9abXSKwbN8as/s320/1+Beetle.jpg) |
The trouble maker |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh_atD01cewLFzQpntfx00cOU0IDBUrry-NLN5sM-3wZKTw3VQ_bhi61WaLHAcF0izoZ9uu12M9waAWqEBVnDZQCsyPAa-diDHJ8HcNP8sIy8zzvLb0d5AyJ1iMQ-K1t0gRo7g2iPPzzhI/s400/July+Bugs+019.JPG) |
Leaves with signs of leaf chewing- can you spy the beetles? |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh9Ss_NZBxyR46cvw8wIaFzb0-TlmAg_MJoLaTqC-Ou6pxRtMRde1X6NDo-zbaVeItwSlYYed8gzQHIejmotABVOPevbF__PGy8xB_pW-Z5-VK9UZLrL-J5NoqP0A7Hsbgd8qzp5N0jAbI/s400/July+Bugs+048.JPG) |
Best hat for night bettle busting |
Upon my discovery, I quickly grabbed an empty bottle, squeezed in a teaspoon of dish soap, added some water and then headed to the garden adding a pair of gloves to my ensemble. I removed every beetle from each basil plant, adding each one to the bottle for a quick death in detergent. There was a lot of beetle hanky panky going on, so I was especially pleased to have interrupted baby beetle making. My husband came out to the garden wondering what the heck I was up to- he looked at me like I was nuts when I explained what I was doing and then added, "But I can't leave them here eating my plants! I have to do something!" So Peter, it's confirmed. I am a complete plant nerd and also a serial beetle murderer!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF9XtiOUyW0yUl1MyxBKTbgmlV1jSgyHpU4STMkOqYqwp63JWB6TxCWIwnm2yHsN4B_zVdYW4GRkIguOOfFZy80tgzRZVBh0MARh7RDDuicGaeNz4FcPRKNnr-W6_gezOLUYdPqwxZg9q/s400/July+Bugs+039.JPG) |
My organic beetle control, hand picking |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHZ64tPirkSUOBK8EiYMWUZpmSBwvQTJjfahC5W_ThBHOs9JsnPJzJStgQ2rqSh5VLKCfUrukbZppg0U35a5UfhINGs-MhHTNv-r7bSIMhJlHqAXncAl8iTCIt2c4FcwzWrzgmxBQULUw/s400/July+Bugs+029.JPG) |
Many beetles met their fate in my detergent solution |
Wow Julie! Good sleuthing. I have heard that these beetles (a.k.a. grubs in the larvae stage) love well-watered gardens, which is probably why they are most commonly known to attack lawns. FRWA has a fact sheet on grubs for lawn control: http://frwa.org/publications/grubs.pdf
ReplyDeleteThese are killing my zinnias! And my sunflowers are literally skeletons of just veins of the leaf. Last week they seemed to let up a little but now they are back. I feel your pain.
ReplyDelete