[Hobie]

Has anyone had any experience (good or bad) with applying Milky Spore to control Japanese Beetles? It's quite expensive, but I found some on sale for 75% off. Given that my roses are denuded, I'm thinking of trying anything.

 

[Iddee]

Try this first. It is cheaper, works well, and won't hurt the bees.

Mix one tablespoon dishwashing liquid with one cup

of cooking oil.Add two teaspoons of this mixture to

one cup water. Spray onto plants every ten days

 

[BjornBee]

Milky spore is very effective for controlling the beetles.

You will not see full control until the second year as the spore needs to complete the lifecycle and discharge the future spores into the ground, after killing the beetle larvae from the beetles you see the first year.

Then, you may not need to treat for another 20 years or so. The spores are regenerated in the soil by other grubs completing the spore cycle. But at a drastically reduced number of beetles. You will always have some fly in from outside the treated areas, but the numbers will be reduced from what you are seeing now.

 

[Hobie]

Thanks, Bjorn. Any idea where to get milky spore at reasonable cost? My super sale didn't pan out. They were suddenly not carrying the item.