Just when I thought the Japanese Beetle population might finally be waning, they show up this summer with a vengeance.
From a distance you’d think I’d planted some newfangled roses with copper-colored flowers:
But alas it’s just a tiny ball of beetles on each blossom, munching them into oblivion. They have covered all of my roses like this all summer long. It’s disgusting:
It takes them only a couple of hours to devour an entire rose blossom. Every once in awhile they miss a flower and I quickly rescue it and bring it inside to enjoy in a vase.
Other than annoying me and every other gardener that has ever had to do battle with them, I still can’t figure out their purpose on this earth. They have no natural predators that I know of (except me and my bucket of soapy water) Even birds won’t touch them.
They should finally start dying off in a couple of weeks. Hopefully we’ll get some nice days in September and October when my roses can bloom beetle-free.
2 comments
I can’t believe the number of beetles on your rose bushes!! I had them also, but not in such numbers as these pictures show. I hope your bushes will be strong enough to put forth some blooms for you once the beetles have left.
It’s a joy to behold, isn’t it? Luckily I treated all of them with the Bayer systemic or I wouldn’t have any foliage either (flowers don’t take up chemicals). I’m yearning for fall! 🙂
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