My wife was walking through one of our gardens and was astonished to find this nasty little devil and a swarm of his friends devouring our sunflowers...
The loathed Japanese Beetle. This is a first for us, and it is a bit unnerving because our bush bean's leaves are starting to have a similar appearance, but we have not found any beetles on them yet. This is the classic example of another nonnative invasive species that has come found a destructive niche in our native ecosystems. We are hoping to find a natural method to remove them before they can destroy too many of our plants.
My current research involves adding natural repellants to the garden to create an unpleasant environment for the beetles. It seems that the addition of Garlic is one of the most recommended means of discouraging their presence. I have also read that Chives and Catnip are also good deterrents. I am thinking of trying to alternate all three and will gather some personal data.
I am thinking that the chickens are also assisting in removal of the beetles, but cannot reach the tops of the sunflowers. Will also have to experiment with offering them as snacks to see how well they respond.
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