UConn bug experts say this has been a good year for certain beetle populations in Connecticut and that is bad news for backyard gardens.
Experts at UConn’s Home and Garden Education Center are warning gardeners about invasive beetles.
“They’re not harmful to people,’ said horticulture specialist and educator Pamm Cooper. “They can be bad, it depends on how many you get.”
Japanese Beetles and Asiatic Garden Beetles are not native to New England, but they can be found in many Connecticut home gardens.
“Japanese Beetles this year are worse than they have been lately. The past few years, they weren’t so bad,” said Cooper. “But this year, the Asiatic Harden Beetles are horrible. They are just having a wonderful year.”
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The beetles eat up crops in gardens such as zinnias, grapes and sunflowers.
Japanese Beetles feed during the day while Asiatic Garden Beetles feed at night, but there are still ways to spot them. The center recommends using a flashlight to check underneath leaves and crevices that they might be hiding in.
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“Usually, they hang out in the soil, just below the plant they’re feeding on,” said Cooper. “Get a tool, like just a tablespoon, dig through the mulch and go into the soil about an inch.”
And she says once you find them, you should kill them.
“Any of these beetles you could knock them off a plant, hopefully they won’t fly away, into soapy water and they will succumb,” she said.
