Mother Nature's Answer to JB

I have read that the brightside to the seriousness of the Japanese Beetle problem is that a lot of money is being spent in R&D to counter these awful insects. It has been known for some time that certain pesticides like Sevin and Danitol could help save your plants by repelling JB and killing those that come into contact with it. However, the nice thing about the current trend toward organic and sustainable farming is that new research is providing environmentally neutral or less harmful ways to eliminate JB. In this vein have emerged two possible solutions to JB problems: Neem oil and Kaolin Spray.

Neem oil is a made from the Neem tree, which grows in parts of Asia. It is sold in a concentrate form and is diluted with water before application. A rough estimate is 1 ounce of 100 percent Neem oil per gallon of water. I have seen it sold in 70 and 100 percent concentrations and usually for 15-18 dollars per 16 ounces.

Neem oil makes a plant unappealing to JB and other various pests. If they do decide to eat the leaves, the Neem oil will affect their hormonal system. Neem oil will not immediately kill pests like a pesticide, but instead "both repels and disrupts their growth and reproduction" (http://www.neemfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=74).

Neem is also helpful in keeping aphid populations under control, which affects ant populations and any other pest that enjoys the honey dew produced by aphids.

Along with pests, Neem is also helpful in controlling mildew and rot, which becomes an issue in humid climates once fruit is borne.

Kaolin spray is a mixture of water and kaolinite, which is a type of clay. This product is sold in powder form and is mixed with water before application. Kaolin spray applies a light clay coating on the leaves of a plant and this produces a barrier between insects and leaf and this barrier is enough to dissuade insects from eating or laying eggs on the leaves. Kaolin is obvious on plants because it leaves a milky white coating.

It is also suggested that Kaolin spray has a positive effect on keeping plants cool during hottest part of the summer. This is important because it allows the leaves to remain active longer and thus the plants can grow for longer periods of the day. Normally the plant would shut down during the hottest part of the afternoon.

Kaolin has no effect on pest populations directly and would probably need to be used - like most other repellants - in coordination with other pest management strategies.

I think that we will continue to use Sevin for the remainder of this season to combat JB. This should only mean for another month or so. We will keep our applications of Sevin to as few as necessary to keep the JB away. Next year we will make a more educated and environmentally sound choice of prevention for JB. So far we have only applied Sevin once on the vines and it has kept the beetles at bay. I imagine we will need to reapply at least twice more before the adults leave this earth.