re: trapping Japanese beetles - the biggest problem I see with the hardware store pheromone traps is that they don’t have enough space to hold a lot of beetles.
I found that in years when there are a lot of them around, even a five gallon bucket isn’t adequate to go a single day before it’s full. A 30 gallon plastic trash can makes a perfect catchment system. You just have to cut a small hole in the lid and hang the trap above that opening. It helps to rig up a little tent from cardboard or whatever between the trap and the trash can lid. Doesn’t have to be fancy, just needs to close the gap and help funnel the bugs into the opening in the trash can lid.
At the end of the day after the beetles have stopped flying around, put a few drops of Dawn dish soap down the hole followed by the garden hose. It only takes enough water to get them all wet so they can’t fly back out. Let them stew for 30 minutes and almost all of them will be dead.
Dump the trash can (compost heap, fish pond, etc.) and set it back up for the next day.
I trapped on that scale for three summers and got rid of pretty much every beetle in the county. I’ve hardly noticed any of the nasty things the past two summers. If their numbers start going up again I’m going to suspend a couple traps over the pond and see if I can skip the fill up the bucket/can part of the exercize.
Thanks for the tips! WOW ... 5+ gallon buckets, etc. .... that’s a LOT of Japanese Beetles!
I’m still plugging along “spot shotting” on the zinnias. The bed is only 3’ x 6’ so this method works just fine. I check morning & evening & if I happen to be out at the garden for some reason at a different time, I take a look then as well. I just keep the bottle in the bed (shaded by the zinnias) so it’s handy.