For young grape plants I would be a bit more concerned,
but they will still survive rather well.

FYI: I examined my grapes this morning. Some leaves
look like green lace. About 98% of the green on some of
the leaves is gone. Other leaves look robust and untouched.

My college-aged son enjoyed cutting mating pairs of beetles
in half with the pruners, more for fun than for protection of
the grapes. PETA will probably be filing a complaint.

If you already have the materials for spraying, then I'd suggest
proceeding. Just remember that plants are very resilient and
the grapes will survive quite well and the success of next years
grapes will be unaffected.

Once again, this is just my opinion: I try to avoid creating
more gardening work then necessary. There are pests, diseases
and so many other problems that I just force myself to ignore
the minor ones. For me, beetles having a lunch on my grape
leaves is one of the more minor problems. I'm not trivializing
your concern; just presenting my perspective.

Good luck,
Gideon

============

JoeSpareBedroom wrote in message ...
I have no intention, by the way, of using any treatment other than my
current garlic spray, or perhaps the appropriate milky spore concoction.
I'll probably crank up the garlic/onion thing with some cayenne, once the
peppers get a bit riper (I'll probably have 8 billion peppers ready in two
weeks). I'm just concerned because these grapes were just planted this
season, and I don't think they can afford to lose MUCH leaf volume. Later,
when they're monsters, I agree that some leaf loss won't be a big deal.

Is insecticidal soap effective at all against these bugs, or do they just
laugh at that stuff?


"Gideon" wrote in message
. ..
Joe,

I've endured the beetles for over 3 decades. My approach
is peaceful co-existence. The grape leaves look ugly with all
of the holes in them, but my crops have always been excellent
in spite of the damage to the leaves. In my warped opinion, every
hole in a leaf just creates an opportunity for the leaf below to
get more sunlight.

Very seriously, I don't see any real harm to the plants. Currently,
the pesky little bugs are eating my grape leaves for energy,
humping one another, and then dining on grape leaves again.
Sort of like the insect variety of college students.

I still get a great crop and my bigger concern is the bees,
wasps, other insects and birds who will be dining on my crop
when it matures. That is much more serious. Nets help with
the birds, but it is very difficult to keep the insect away.

After the vigorous breeding on my grapes vines, the beetles
will move on to deposit their eggs on my lawn and the lawns of
my neighbors. The subsequent grubs are a non-trivial problem,
but I've even learned to live with that. Of course, that means
that there will be a fresh crop of beetles down the road to
repeat the cycle.

You are extremely lucky if you've grown grapes for 35 years
and you are just encountering Japanese beetles. Others may
disagree with me, but I seriously suggest that you just see
how you crop turns out in spite of the holes in the grape
leaves.

FYI: every year my grape leaves look as if somebody blasted
them repeatedly with a 12 gauge shotgun. Ugly, but still
very productive.

Treating your lawn for grubs may mitigate future problems,
but not very much unless all of your neighbors do the same.
Grubs in any nearby lawns will probably produce beetles who
will feast on your grape leaves next year.

Good luck,
Gideon

PS: Don't forget to harvest some of those tender young grape
leaves early next season before they turn tough and before
they get eaten by bugs. There are many great uses for tender
young grape leaves. I share mine with several neighbors,
most of whom reciprocate by sharing the delicacies that they
make from the leaves.

==============

JoeSpareBedroom wrote in message ...
I guess I've been lucky during 35 years of gardening - this is the first
time I've had to deal with Japanese beetles. They're decimating my grape
vine leaves. I doused them last night with disgusting, fermented
garlic/onion spray that I made last year, which chased them away. Are they
a
short-visit pest, or do they tend to move in with their furniture and
extended families once they've found a snack they like?