Please insert "japanese beetle" in place of the cockroach above. Explanation below (near the bottom)...
Only one day of being my DD's slave and I'm already ready to be done with it, LOL. She's really good, and I can't complain about her attitude. But, she's typically pretty self-sufficient, so this is taking some getting used to!
Brandy asked yesterday about getting rid of slugs naturally (sans pesticides). Aside from picking them daily (which is what I do for red lily beetles and frequently for Japanese beetles), there are a couple of things I know about that you can try.
1. Beer traps...Set traps in troublesome beds. Sink a shallow jar so the top is flush with the ground. Fill the traps with beer - regular or nonalcoholic - to 1/2 inch from the top and wait for the snails and slugs to fall in and drown. Check the traps every few days. Or, if you don't want to waste the beer (*G*), Add 1/2 tsp. baking yeast and 1 tbsp. sugar to the water in each trap.
2. Salt...If you can't stand the thought of "picking" them, you can sprinkle them with salt when you find them. It sucks the water out of them and makes them dehydrate (rather spectacularly, actually, as they foam up). Truthfully, this always seemed sort of cruel so I always recommend drowning instead -- which seems more peaceful. I'll bet there are a few people who wouldn't mind choosing their death by drowning in beer! LOL....
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Yesterday heralded our first (or the first I saw, in any case) mass swarming of Japanese beetles. Nasty buggers. I was outside watering my birds (some day I must get a bird bath... in the mean time, we have dips in our driveway that hold water, and the birdies will come drink and bathe there, so I fill them up a couple of times a day), when I saw what I thought were bees (I have yellow jackets on the brain). I moved a bit closer and discovered BEETLES. Hundreds of them. Blech.
I dumped water on them so they couldn't fly and started stomping. Yuck, yuck, yuck. They CRUNCH. And leave white goo behind. Ugh.
Worse, when I couldn't stand it any more and went inside, I swore I could still feel their pokey little feet crawling up my legs. ICK.
There are few bugs I despise and will kill without a thought. Japanese beetles are one of them.
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The Road Trip of Your Life |
 You see companionship and loyalty as what's most important in life. You live a life of leisure. You take your time in every aspect of life and enjoy it to the fullest. You're willing to take a few risks in life. You may not take the road no one travels, but you're happy to take the road less traveled. You are able to find a fairly healthy balance between work and play. You work when you need to, but you never let yourself burn out. You could have owned an indie bookstore or boutique in another life. |
Wait... wait... I LIVE A LIFE OF LEISURE????
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha... **snort**....
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9 comments:
Wow - I didn't know you willinglty killed anything! We've had a Japanese beetle problem the last few weeks. I use the traps and they work pretty well...
Allie, I used to use the traps, but I've been told that they actually attract even more beetles to your property with the pheremones. So, I run around twice a day with a bucket of soapy water and pick them.
Wish I believed in pesticides...
Ew, ick, gross, yuck on the beetles. Bleah.
The Road Trip of Your Life
You see life as precious and special. Heritage and family are very important to you.
You live a life of leisure. You take your time in every aspect of life and enjoy it to the fullest.
You don't like a lot of risk or randomness in your life. You prefer to stick with what's known, even if it's a bit boring.
Eh, work is not really for you. You're all about playtime! You'll work if you have to, but you really don't like it. OH, I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE. TEE HEE.
In another life, you could have been a great novelist. You have a knack for describing things in an interesting way.
UM, HELLO? HOW ABOUT IN THIS LIFE?
I could hear the crunching of the japanese beetles.
The Road Trip of Your Life
You see life as a journey to be shared with others. Kinship and sharing are very important to you.
You live life at a fairly leisurely pace. You take time to enjoy the sweeter parts of life, even when you're busy.
You're willing to take a few risks in life. You may not take the road no one travels, but you're happy to take the road less traveled.
You are able to find a fairly healthy balance between work and play. You work when you need to, but you never let yourself burn out.
You could have owned an indie bookstore or boutique in another life.
Wow, a bookstore...I'm in heaven.
You see romantic love as what's most important in life. A deep connection with someone else is the primary thing you crave.
You live a life of leisure. You take your time in every aspect of life and enjoy it to the fullest.
You are all about risk and randomness in your life. You travel off the beaten path... in fact, you're often the one carving the way!
You tend to be a workaholic. You overwork yourself without ever realizing it and sometimes suffer the consequences later.
In another life, you could have been a great novelist. You have a knack for describing things in an interesting way.
Look, I could have been a great novelist in another life. Does that mean I'm a not-so-great one in this life?
I really hate big crunchy beetles, especially cockroaches, but Japanese beetles are more destructive, of course.
Thanks for the tips on the slugs. Ugh. They are nasty little creatures. I haven't seen any japanese beetles yet. They usually hit here within this month or August. We use an eco friendly pesticide in the house, I think tobacco is the main ingredient, because that's what it smells like in the bottle. *G*
I hope you're having a terrific day!
Japenese beetles are the worst. I have no problem with taking them out either. They ruin my mom's roses.
Don't think I could put salt on a slug either. Sounds like torture. I'd take slugs over beetles any day.
Japanese Beetles are the personification of evil.
nuff said.
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