Japanese Beetles, commonly known as June Bugs, are major pests and can be hard to get rid of. But they are not invincible.

Natural Ways to Combat Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles, better known as June bugs in some parts, are obnoxious little pests. For many kids, Japanese beetles look pretty neat with their iridescent green shell, however, they will destroy a field of crops in no time. Many people use the Japanese beetles young for bait when fishing as most types of fish love eating them. While these nasty looking bugs may be great fish bait, they are just as destructive as their adult versions, only underground.

The Japanese beetle will feed in large groups on any plant they want, but there are a few particular ones that attract them more than others. Grapevines, Morning Glories, Roses, Elder and Mallow are some of the favorites for these pests so if you want to deter them, remove the plants. If you want these plants, there are other ways to naturally discourage the beetles from coming into your yard and having an all-you-can-eat buffet.

There is the hand picking method, which is exactly what it sounds like. Get a bucket of soapy water and set it below your plants. Pick the nuisances off the leaves or flick them off into the soapy water. Leave the bucket where it sits as the scent of dead bugs will help frighten off other beetles. You can also pick up the grubs, the Japanese beetles young, and pluck them in the bucket as well. If unsure where they are, look for small holes in the yard. You can pour a small bit of soapy water into the holes to shoo the grubs out.

Try companion planting with your plants. Depending on what plant you are trying to protect will determine exactly which plant would be best suited for this. The top five plants to use to deterring Japanese beetles are; chives, garlic, mint, tansy and catnip. Do be cautious what you plant these next to as some plants do not do well near certain others. A great example would be chives and garlic should never be planted near asparagus.

Using an insecticidal soap will also help to kill Japanese beetles as well as deterring news ones from landing on your plants. These can be bought from a nursery or other place that sell insecticides or they can be made at home. Here are two proven to work recipes that can be made from ingredients at home.

Homemade insecticidal soap

Recipe 1

• 1 tablespoon dish liquid
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper or garlic powder
• Add 2 tablespoons to one cup water and stir well.

Recipe 2

• 1 cup fresh mint, any kind
• 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
• 2 cups water
• Boil all three ingredients for 10 minutes. Best results when allowed to seep overnight.
• Strain well and pour in spray bottle.
• Add two to three drops of dish liquid and gently mix.

Warning: Do not use dish liquid that has bleach, perfumes, degreasers or that are made for an automatic dishwasher. Never spray your plants on hot or very sunny days. The best time to use is in the evenings when sun is going down or early morning before sun has come all the way up. The dish liquid and oil will cook your plants in the heat.