TODAY IN THE ORCHARD

Japanese Beetles on our grapes. Where’s the bucket?

A bit about Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica). Native to Japan and introduced to the US in the early 1900’s, Japanese Beetles are no where to be found some years and a major pest in others. This year they are a major pest. They are feeding right now. A couple of weeks ago, in a panic, a friend sent me a photograph of one of his apple trees. The leaves were “skeletonized.” At first I wasn’t sure what was up. Then a couple days later I was in our orchard and immediately realized what had happened to his tree: Japanese Beetles. Although they won’t kill an apple tree, they do make a mess of it and don’t make it easy for much photosynthesis. They also cause havoc on grapes, plums, roses and raspberries. They are even eating our blueberries this year. When you go to squish them they fly away or drop to the ground and hide. But there is a way to outsmart them. They “go to sleep” right out in the open in the evening and don’t become active again until mid-morning. We position a jar or bucket under the foliage where they’re sleeping and gently jiggle. They drop conveniently into the container. We put a couple of inches of water in the bucket with a little detergent. That does the trick. Out in the orchard, the Goldenrod is now beginning to flower. The Bee Balm is spectacular. So many flowers!