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Milky Spore to combat Japanese beetles
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Author:  8piecebox [ Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:01 am ]
Post subject:  Milky Spore to combat Japanese beetles

I spoke with some folks from the Chicago Botanical Garden here about using milky spore to combat Japanese beetles and was told it won't work this far north because our freezing temperatures kill off the spores every winter. Apparently, it takes several seasons of application for there to be enough spores to seek and destroy enough grubs to prevent a significant Japanese beetle population each season. With the spores getting frozen every winter, it makes me wonder if local garden centers up here that stock the stuff are taking advantage of people's ignorance (mine included up until now).

Comments?

Thanks folks!

Author:  ALZ1 [ Thu Jun 18, 2009 10:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Milky Spore to combat Japanese beetles

I lost part of my lawn to grubs when I first moved into this home. (1993-94)
In 1995 I put down milky spore,10 yrs later, I had 2 grubs in a 5'x10' area of my lawn I tore up to plant flowers. I live in Iowa.

I put some more down in 2008 just because it was going on 13 yrs and didn't want to chance loosing part of a yard again.

That is just my personal experience with the milky spore in cold weather area. I also get alot of june bugs from the neighbors around my out door lighting over the years.

If memory serves, I put it down in the fall when they would be eating the most. I have never used a pesticides for grubs.

I bought nematodes first, but never really knew if they worked, and for sure could see how those could possibly die over winter.

Supposedly it is not to work on june bug grub larvae, but I took a chance that it might and so far so good.


Angela

Author:  8piecebox [ Thu Jun 18, 2009 1:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Milky Spore to combat Japanese beetles

well that's welcome news, for sure! I'll give it a try, then.

I just last week spread out my nematodes. I just dumped the vial into a 5-gallon bucket of water, agitated it with a stick, and took a very un-scientific plastic cup and slung cups of wormy water randomly over the lawn

when I spoke with the vendor (biconet.com), they said you don't necessarily have to use a sprayer, and this was the method he suggested

hope it works

I'll reinforce the nemadotes with milky spore, too -- I haven't read anywhere that says either of the two affect the other in a harmful way

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