Hello, Trumbull County! If you’ve been keeping a close eye on your garden this past week, you may have noticed that Japanese beetles have made their return for this year. These beetles can cause significant damage to most crops and ornamental plants. They tend to feed on leaves, and more specifically, the softer parts of the leaves between the veins. When they are done feeding, they leave behind the telltale sign of lacy-looking leaves.

There are many ways to control Japanese beetles — some are better than others. A common approach is to purchase a pheromone trap to attract the beetles into a funnel-shaped bag that can then be thrown away. The problem with these traps is that they will attract beetles from all over the neighborhood to your garden. If you use these traps, you’re more likely to help your neighbor reduce their beetle population because they all found their way onto your property.

Insecticides are another tool that you can employ to reduce the damage to your plants, but be sure to read the label first. Many insecticides labeled for fruits and vegetables have a preharvest interval (PHI), or a length of time that must elapse between application and harvest. Some PHIs can be a week or longer, so you will need to determine if that is the correct tool. There is also a difference in insecticide active ingredients — some are contact only, while some are systemic.

Contact insecticides, like Sevin, must make physical contact with an insect to work. If you apply the insecticide and a Japanese beetle lands an hour later, it will likely not be killed.

Systemic insecticides, like imidacloprid, are absorbed by the plant and can provide longer control. It is more common to find systemic insecticides labeled for non-food-producing plants like flowers and shrubs. The label is the law, and if your intended plant is not on the label, choose another option.

Another option is to control the Japanese beetle grubs in the soil to kill them before they emerge. Timing is important for these products because applying too late in the year will not offer any control. You want to apply these products to the soil when the grubs are small and close to the soil surface. This is typically in August into early September in our area. If you apply after this, or next spring, the grubs will be too large to effectively kill or too deep in the soil that the insecticide loses efficacy.

Soil-applied insecticides are nonselective, meaning they will kill any insects they contact, even the beneficials like bees. And again, you could kill every Japanese beetle grub on your property, but you will still have beetles on your plants next year.

My preferred method to control Japanese beetles is to pick them off the plants and toss them into a jar of soapy water. I know this comes with a level of “ick,” but it really isn’t bad, and in many scenarios, this is the best method to reduce the number of beetles attacking your plants.

If you have chickens, they will appreciate the “harvested” beetles as a great snack. They are annoying, but persistence will pay off.

I hope you’re able to make it out to the Trumbull County Fair this week to enjoy agriculture, support 4-H youth and participate in the many fair activities.

For some, county fairs are about food and rides, but they are so much more than that. Fairs bring the ag community together to showcase livestock and crops, educate people about agriculture and highlight the array of artistic talent we have in Trumbull County.

I hope to see you all there.

Lee A. Beers can be reached at beers.66@osu.edu.