SugarChile wrote:
.......The other thing you can do is pray for starlings 8-)....I know they are
often thought of as undesirable birds, but I've never seen other birds eat
Japanese beetles. The last few summers they have cleaned up the beetles on
my cannas, and I was grateful.

Cheers,
Sue



This could be a very good thing. I wonder if starlings everywhere
have learned to eat Japanese beetles? Perhaps this is a new food for
them and it may take a while for all of the starling population to
figure it out. Probably wishful thinking but it would be nice if a
natural control appeared that would keep the beetle damage tolerable.
My main control has been to grab the ones I see, toss them onto a
brick and slam another brick on top before they fly away. I do know
about the bucket of soapy water trick but never bothered to go back
to the house to get the bucket. I'll have to try it this summer.
Their habit of dropping straight down when threatened makes it
perfect for them. Thanks for the reminder.

Steve