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“Oh happy day!” say the Japanese beetles. Those large marigolds have finally opened and it’s a 24-hour, all-you-can-eat buffet!
For the last few days I’ve been pulling little piles of beetles off most of my zinnias and marigolds several times a day. Into the soapy bucket they go! I’m not as thorough as I’d like to be because the mosquitoes are still dreadful, and I don’t like wearing bug spray, so I move pretty fast and miss a lot of beetles along the way.
At least with the marigold blossoms being ravaged, some of my zinnias may get a chance to recharge and grow some new leaves. Some of the current ones are a little rough-looking and can’t be helping the plants much with photosynthesis:
