In order to defend your flowers, shrubs and bushes against Japanese beetles, make your own organic beetle spray at home. Beetles won’t eat your plants any more because it’s so simple and affordable to create.
Japanese Beetles can do a lot of harm to plants. And in a surprisingly short period of time! Beetles begin to appear in Ohio around the first or second week of July. A small number of insects can quickly escalate into a full-fledged beetle infestation. All in just a few days.
An All-Natural Japanese Beetle Spray
Japanese beetles can be deterred with ceder oil. Although the beetles will not be killed by this, they will certainly not enjoy it. They flee quickly if sprayed while they are on a plant. And if it’s already on the plant, they’ll keep it away, which is good for the leaves.
There are a few different ways to make your own cedar oil spray at home. Sprays made from cedar planks can easily be made by simply submerging them in water for a short period of time. If you want, you can use water and pure Eastern cedar oil.
How to Make Japanese Beetle Spray using Wood Chunks
You will need six to eight little pieces of Eastern Red Cedar wood (about 4′′ length x 2′′ wide) to build your spray. The most important thing is to keep the wood pieces small enough to fit in a 5-gallon bucket.
If you can’t find Eastern Red Cedar trees in your own backyard, your best bet is to visit a local lumberyard.
Fill a 5-gallon bucket halfway with the chunks. Afterwards, add hot water to the bucket. When the water in the huge pot reaches boiling point, we carefully pour it into the bucket. The heated oil aids in the release of the cedar’s natural oils.
It is recommended that you allow 3-4 days of soaking time once the water has been added to the container. Place a brick or other hefty object on top of the cedar wood to prevent it from floating to the top. Every day, we give our oil bucket a good shake to help it drain faster.
Remove the boards from the water and strain them to remove any floating debris after they’ve soaked for a while. Now you can use the cedar spray you made yourself.
How to Make Japanese Beetle Spray Using Cedar Oil
Pure Eastern Cedar oil can also be used to make an effective cedar spray. Although it’s a little more pricey, it’s faster and easier to put together.
Use 1.5 tbsp. of cedar oil for 1 gallon of water when making a spray mix. No need to heat the water because the oil is already pure. When the mixture has been fully blended, you are ready to go!
How to Spray to Get Rid of Beetles
A pump sprayer is the most efficient tool for applying the spray mixture. A spray bottle can be used for smaller areas. Add a few drops of olive oil or mild liquid dish soap to the solution before you begin spraying it down. Help the spray adhere to the leaves for better effects by using this method.
Spray the leaves of any plants that are frequently attacked by beetles with a generous amount of the solution. The bugs will swiftly flee the plant if they happen to be there. Applied to leaves, the mixture will deter bugs from settling on the plants in the future.
Reapply the spray frequently to maintain its efficacy, especially after rain or a heavy morning dew has fallen. When beetles are most active, spray plants every two to three days.
A Two-Pronged Approach to beetle Control
You can use a two-pronged strategy to protect your plants from Japanese beetles. The first and simplest method is to remove beetles off plants by hand when they appear.
You’ll be shocked at how quickly you can get rid of the beetles by hand. Less beetles will be able to reproduce and lay more eggs if you brush them into a pail of soapy water in the late morning. Hand selecting for a few weeks on a daily basis can and does work.
You can also use an all-natural repellant spray derived from cedar oil to protect your plants in the interim. Japanese beetles can be kept under control with one of these approaches over time.
All natural Japanese beetle spray
It is important to avoid spraying insecticides not just for reasons of health and safety associated with using commercial goods, but also because doing so may potentially result in an increase in the number of pest issues that our plants, trees, and bushes experience in the future.
Even thought insecticides can kill beetles, you don’t really want them near anything we eat. But beyond that, they are simply counterproductive and do more harm than good.
Insecticides are non-discriminatory in their application. In the process of eliminating the beetles, they also eliminate a significant number of beneficial insects and pollinators. This means that your flowers and vegetables won’t be pollinated as much as they normally would if there are fewer bees and butterflies buzzing around.
The regular equilibrium of nature can be completely disrupted if a big fraction of insects perishes. The loss of all of the beneficial insects can lead to a fresh wave of pests that had previously been kept under control.
The Life Cycle of Japanese Beetles
Grubs of the Japanese beetle spend the winter underground and dwell there throughout the year. When beetles emerge from their hiding places to feast on your plants, their primary objective is to breed. Following this, the females will deposit their eggs within the ground. The grubs that emerge from those eggs at the end of summer are called nymphs.
Grubs spend the remaining part of the summer feeding on the roots of plants that are buried underground. Brown spots are another sort of damage that can be caused to lawns as a result of this. They begin to dig deeper and deeper into the ground as autumn draws to a close and winter draws closer so that they can be protected from the winter’s frost.
Unfortunately, the more beetles you let live, mate, and lay eggs in the soil this year, the more grubs and eventual beetles you will have the next year. This is a cycle that will continue as long as the beetles are around. The urgency with which you should address their needs cannot be overstated.