When should we expect the Japanese beetle invasion?

[Shufigo]

I remember last year the beetles denuded my apple trees in just a matter of days. I'm ready with the sprayer this year but don't want to jump the gun and lose a lot of efficiency to time and rain. Do you have a date for when you expect them in your area? Given your area I can make an educated guess to adjust to Tidewater, Virginia (Surry VA).

 

[tlh2865]

Central Virginia I want my trees sprayed by June 1, I read somewhere that keeping them from getting on them and marking the tree up with pheromones is better than waiting for them to spray.

 

[Mennoniteman]

In southern pa we begin to see them about the third or fourth week in June, so you will probably see them the second or third week. What are you spraying for them?

 

[Shufigo]

For lack of a more knowledgeable alternative, I'm using Sevin(Sp?). Watching the beetles react to it, it appears to do a good job.
Shut

 

[Mennoniteman]

I have used permethrin in the past because that was the only thing I had on hand. That really knocks them out, and lasts longer than sevin. , but it's not allowed to use on food for human consumption. So now that my trees are starting to bear fruit, I figured that I would revert to sevin, but was wondering if there is anything better out there.

 

[BoneCrusher20]

Just some other trains of thought for how i've tried to manage them

1) neem oil spray for little more natural insecticide, sprayed on the leaves they eat and is passed onto their offspring, so any eggs laid by adult will be infected and die. also not only does it affect Japanese beetles, but controls a number of other pests.

2) milky spore powder if you have large enough area. some of my orchards are semi-large, so over the years i've saturated soil w/ milky spore powder. it is ingested by the grubs and kills them and the spores are released multiplying and stays in the soil for years wrecking havoc on generation after generation. Now granted if they have another viable spot to lay their eggs nearby that isn't treated won't do much good, but if you are a beetle and you could choose this nice orchard w/ apple trees right overhead, so your kids don't have to travel far to eat or the forest floor w/ no nice grassy roots to munch on what would you choose?

3) placing beetle traps AWAY from orchard....i might put them out in the middle of the forest couple hundred feet away from orchard to try to divert beetles elsewhere. this is a catch 22 method as it works to kill them but also attracts many more beetles to your area than what would without it.