The Battle of the Bugs!

If you’ve stepped out into your garden recently and noticed your prize-winning roses looking a bit like lace, you aren't alone. Summer brings out two of the most frustrating, leaf-chomping pests a gardener can face: Japanese Beetles and Rose Chafers.

While they love to attack the exact same plants, enjoy feasting on different parts of your plants. They look similar, but you’ll find Japanese Beetles predominantly on the leaves, while Rose Chafers prefer to munch on the actual flowers. Here is your quick guide to identifying these summer invaders, managing them, and taking your garden back.

1. Identification: Who is Eating Your Garden?

It’s easy to group all beetle damage together, but figuring out exactly who is visiting your plants is the first step to successful control.

Japanese Beetles (Popillia japonica)

These are the flashy, metallic party-crashers of the insect world. They are about a half-inch long with a brilliant, shimmering metallic-green head and thorax, paired with copper-colored wing covers. If you look closely at their sides, you will see distinct little tufts of white hair sticking out from under their wings. 

Rose Chafers (Macrodactylus subspinosus)

Rose chafers show up a bit earlier in the summer (usually June) and look a bit more drab. They have elongated, slender bodies about one-third to a half-inch long. They are a dull yellowish-green or tan color, covered in fine hairs, and sport notoriously long, spindly, reddish-brown legs. They look clumsy, but they can do serious damage quickly.

2. Target Plants: What Are They Attacking?

Both pests are notorious generalists—meaning they aren't picky eaters—but they definitely have their favorite snacks.

• Japanese Beetles: Absolute suckers for roses, hibiscus, linden trees, grapes, raspberries, and crabapples. They feed in large groups, starting at the top of the plant and working their way down. They eat the tender tissue between the leaf veins, leaving a characteristic "skeletonized" look.

• Rose Chafers: They love roses, peonies, grapes, hydrangeas, and fruit trees (like apples and cherries). They prefer soft flower petals and buds over mature leaves, often chewing jagged holes right through the center of your favorite blooms. Note: They thrive in areas with sandy soil, where their larvae overwinter easily.

3. How to Get Rid of Them (Without Ruining Your Garden)

When it comes to treating these pests, a multi-layered approach works best. Here are the most effective strategies, ranked from easiest to heaviest hitter.

1. The Morning Pluck: Best for low-to-medium infestations.

Head out to the garden early in the morning when the beetles are still cool and sluggish. Fill a bucket with water and a few drops of dish soap. Shake or flick the beetles directly into the bucket. They drop like rocks when disturbed, making this surprisingly fast and highly effective.

2. Physical Barriers: Best for protecting prized blooms.

If you have specific plants or floating rows of crops you want to save from the feeding frenzy, use lightweight floating row covers or fine mesh cheesecloth during their peak 4 to 6 week active window.

3. The Trap Bag Method: Best used at a distance.

Pheromone-based beetle bags can catch thousands of bugs, but never hang them near the plants you want to save. Because the scent is incredibly potent, hanging a bag on your rose bush will draw beetles from up to a quarter-mile away straight to your prize flowers. Instead, place traps on the perimeter of your yard, to lure them away from your landscape.

4. Apply Sprays: Best for active feeding windows.

Spraying plants with Neem oil or insecticidal soaps acts as a deterrent. For a stronger organic option, look for sprays containing Pyrethrin's, such as our Japanese Beetle Spray. For a conventional control, we recommend Eight. Tip: Always spray in the late evening after bees and pollinators have gone to bed to keep them safe.

5. Target the Lawn: Best for breaking the lifecycle.

Both beetles lay eggs in the turf that turn into root-eating grubs. Treating your lawn with Milky Spore (a natural bacterium) or beneficial nematodes in the late summer can drastically reduce next year's adult population. Conventional Grub Control can be applied late-April thru May OR late-August thru September, when larvae are actively feeding.

Keep a close eye on your garden over the next few weeks and keep your soapy bucket handy, and you can successfully navigate the summer beetle season!