Enchantra Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I woke up this morning to get ready for work. I'm in the kitchen making breakfast. I'm not the most lucid person first thing in the morning so when I saw something fly through the kitchen I didn't give it a second thought. I take my oatmeal into my room so I can eat and check my email and I head back to the kitchen to grab my mug of tea. There on the floor, freshly squished by my own foot was a Japanese Beetle! I took a Kleenex, picked it up and examined it till my brain kicked in and I said, "What the heck?" Mom happened to get up to get ready for work and I showed it to her. The only thing her and I can think of, is we have some that are in the houseplants that had been outside on the front porch over the summer or on the back deck. Great, just what we needed - Japanese beetles inside the house in the middle of winter with pets around so using toxic substances is a bit of a no-can-do. The prime suspects I would say would be Dad's two potted Tropical Hibiscus as neither has been doing to well inside, even with extra light. I don't think I've ever heard of Japanese Beetles inside a house in winter before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catman Jim Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 I don't think I've ever heard of Japanese Beetles inside a house in winter before! They are really quite common, if we are talking about the same bugs; I have oodles of them in my house here in Kansas City every winter. It drives my wife crazy trying to clean them up almost daily. Here's a website that talks about them & why they do this. http://www.ipm.msu.edu/beetleFAQ.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethohman Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 That's when ours in Ohio show up - January - March timeframe. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted February 24, 2008 Author Share Posted February 24, 2008 No, these are not Asian Lady bird beetles or Lady bugs. I wouldn't mind having those around. These are Japanese Beetles which are destructive pests that eat the foliage off plants and their larvae can kill a plant eating the roots. You know those brown spots in well manicured lawns during the spring? That's Japanese Beetle larvae damage. When people are laying down grub killer this is what they are trying to kill is these pests. They are a shiny black beetle with a kind of iridescent back. The picture here shows them eating a rose: http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai...hcd2=1203825323 They are insidious and evil creatures to have in your gardens and plants. They effectively KILLED a couple of my bonsai trees and one of our Blueberry bushes this past year by spreading a fungal disease with their chewing mouths. Here's another good picture of them: http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef409.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_beetle You see these in your gardens, squish them on sight. I like tossing them into convenient Spider webs spun by the local orb spiders who think these morsels are delicacies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thes Hunter Posted February 24, 2008 Share Posted February 24, 2008 When I had a camera, I liked taking pictures. The campus of my former school got over run by these things... along with Emerald Ash borers (But that's besides the point). So one day when I was walking around campus I spotted this little guy and a bunch of his family members doing their thing on the flowers. Close Up shot of Japanese Beetle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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