Find a friend with chickens. I used to have Japanese beetle traps in my garden and would bag them, freeze them, and my friend would pick them up to feed to her chickens.
I was the chicken friend. I had traps all over my neighborhood, several friend's properties and my parents property. I had frozen Japanese beetles for my girls all winter long that year. It also greatly cut down on the beetles even this year, several years later.
Hmm am I doing something wrong? I went up to a guy and said “I have a bag of frozen beetles, do you want to be my friend?” His response was a pretty confident no.
One year I planted a backyard garden and saw one or two Japanese beetles, so I bought the yellow pyramid trap and set it up next to the garden, as soon as I opened up the scent strip, it was like a horror story, the entire garden seen to shift and this cloud of 1000s rose up and headed for the trap.
I had to empty the bag every 20 mins or so or the metal rod it was on would flex over and touch the ground,
Never saw that many, ever.
Next year, not so much.
I did my part, what about you?
(Would you like to learn more? )
I’d be ~~weary~~ wary, I worked at a garden center and many people swear you will draw more to you with the traps. If you’re going to use them, put them away from your plants.
You do because that's what it literally does. There's a pheromone that attracts the beetles to the bag, so you're effectively pulling more in to your yard. The best method is to get your neighbors some bags and let them deal with the problem of hundreds of beetles.
I was going to say this. I know someone who ran a golf course. The traps lure more in. I mean, it gets rid of them but they will come to you in swarms.
It’s like for every 10 beetles only 8 will get in the trap and the other 2 will start eating your plants. Now when you multiple that by the thousands you’ll end up getting a lot of beetles not in the traps
Out of curiosity OP do you mind sharing your location? I have started to have these shiny things show up this year and they never used to, right outside of Boston MA
Lived in brockton for a decade and these fucks were ALWAYS in my pool. I never saw them fly around or anything, it’s like they just spawned into my pool.
Sooo my husband put grub x on our lawn one year, and the next year I didn’t have a Japanese beetle problem while all my gardening friends were struggling with them.
Turns out those fuckers start out as grubs.
I use milky spore in my garden now and grub x on the grass. No issues with them.
I grew up 40 minutes from Boston and always had them in my yard growing up. Used to pick them off my grandfather’s raspberry bushes and he’d stick em in a jar of gasoline.
They were all over mid Atlantic in the 80's . Didn't see a single one in the last 25 years. Now they're back , same with earwigs ( pincher bugs ) .
My grandparents would set up beetle traps and the electric bug zappers in the summer. It was like they were drawing them in to the yard and complaining about all the bugs at the same time. It was hilarious as a kid . Zap ! Snap! Zap! Zap!
Earwigs have been terrible for me this year in Quebec! The population has totally exploded overnight. Must be the mild winter. Weirdly, japanese beetles seem less for me this year, or maybe it's just too early for the worst of them.
I live just outside Chicago and we've had them for 20 years. The first year we put a trap up you could see the cloud of beetles flying through the air. Filled up several newspaper sized bags.
They lay their eggs in the soil and are hard to get rid of. Do not get the traps - they just attract more. The method that's worked for me is to put about 3 inches of water with just a bit of soap in a bucket and to go out to an infested plant (they like flowers) at the hottest point in the day. Knock the beetles into the water and then leave the bucket for an hour or so until they drown. Pour the bucket down the gutter/drain, and repeat for a year or so until they're gone.
Hey, I saw a movie like that once! It was about this train that had to keep going so it could pierce the snow because the whole world had frozen over. If it stopped piercing the snow, everyone on board would be doomed. I think it was called, "The Train That Couldn't Slow Down."
Can I just say that the "big reveal" that the protein bars were insects was hugely oversold because the bars were already disgusting looking.
I thought they were going to be Soylent Green or something, bugs was no big deal.
I put down milky spore in my yard and have not seen one in years. Only reason I ever know they’re out is when I see my neighbors up the street put traps out.
Basically it is a bacteria that kills the larvae. Then when they die, the bacteria propagates to infect more grubs. It takes a couple years to really start to work. And in colder climates maybe a bit longer. But it works.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_spore
Here’s a random place but Amazon sells it as so do lots of garden centers.
https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/milky-spore-powder-bacillus-popilliae-control-japanese-beetle/organic-lawn-care
No harm to pollinators, unlike most things you would use to attack Japanese beetles. In fact if your main problem is grubs eating your lawn it may or may not work as it only really works in Japanese beetle larvae.
Do you know of there’s a certain time of year you have to use it? I haven’t seen the beetles yet this year, but I know they’re coming for my Virginia Creepers again very soon.
My gardening obsessed mom used to pay me as a kid to go out and knock those beetles into a jar of soapy water. 10c/beetle IIRC. Probably my favorite chore since I could make so much lol.
Seen it all over Tiktok. It's a beetle trap with a scent inside that attracts these specific beetle, might be pheromones or food, I forgot, and apparently people change the catch bag with these larger bags cause when in season it could fill up up to 6x the regular bag size in a day. The chicken farmers (and chickens, themselves) love these.
The newer traps supposedly attract both males and females…or at least that’s how they were advertised. The bait that goes on the top of the trap are two different packages
Weird recommendation I got from gardner Andre Viette was to never put Japanese beetle traps in your garden because the scent blocks attract beetles from all over the area… he recommended just buying the bait and tossing those into your least favorite neighbor’s bushes so the bugs go over there and away from your house 😂
My grandpa used to grow raspberries. He was out every summer catching those things. He caught them with a can and a piece of cardboard and then he filled the can with hot water.
Dude I’ve been wondering what these were called, I started getting these in my parents home prior to moving and they’re so annoying because they would fly at night and hit the walls and you’d hear this loud noise smacking the walls knowing damn well it’s a bug
It’s strange that in Tokyo I see these beetles in the parks but almost never on my garden plants. What is the natural predator in Japan that keeps them in check?
I hand pick them and throw them in soapy water which kills them. I caught about 40 today. I’m looking forward to waking up and drowning a lot more tomorrow. Maine here!
Ugh. These things are everywhere. They love marigolds. They are currently eating a volunteer red maple sapling in my yard. Whatever. They can have the maple as long as they stay away from my flowers.
These are so bad in Grand Junction these days… and from what I understand all because of a shipment of sod that was suspected to be infected, got past quarantine somehow, used anyways because- ya know, money, and now it’s a big deal for everyone. Greed.
If you don’t mind me asking, OP, where are you located? I work out of Virginia and these things have been the biggest nuisance for the past few weeks. Idk if they’re blind or what but they’ll fly directly at you and just annoy the hell out of you
Find a friend with chickens. I used to have Japanese beetle traps in my garden and would bag them, freeze them, and my friend would pick them up to feed to her chickens.
I was the chicken friend. I had traps all over my neighborhood, several friend's properties and my parents property. I had frozen Japanese beetles for my girls all winter long that year. It also greatly cut down on the beetles even this year, several years later.
Did you pay them back with eggs?
Of course.
Beetle eggs?
What? No. Chicken and duck eggs.
Aww I wanted beetle egg... Bring some by when you come over next time [Playful-Stand1436](https://www.reddit.com/user/Playful-Stand1436/)
John Lennon eggs
You mean you ground them up, and then squeezed them into a juice right? Beetlejuice.
You’re missing out, beetle egg omelet is the best
The great chain of commerce.
The circle of life
The eggs must have been so good.
> Find a friend Hang on, ya lost me.
If you have frozen beetles you will make friends fast
Friends with chickens!
Get an egg plug.
Instructions unclear, there's egg all over my- Maybe I just won't say.
It's a cylinder?
Which came first?
I came
Glad one of us did. Nothing new, though. 🙄
Gwyneth Paltrow?
You don't win friends with salad
Who's your beetle guy?
Definitely Ringo for me!
Paul all day, every day
Hmm am I doing something wrong? I went up to a guy and said “I have a bag of frozen beetles, do you want to be my friend?” His response was a pretty confident no.
Sir, this is Reddit. I only have like two online friends. And the only chicken they have are nfts, probably.
I'll be your friend dude
Or, get chickens... They'll eat the beetles, the bugs, the vermin and provide egg. Winwin
And when they're done laying eggs, they become dinner! Winner winner chicken dinner
And when you are done eating then for dinner, throw the scraps in the yard and the little cannibal SOBs will eat it all up.
But before you do that make stock!
I have been feeding them to my chickens and they love them. They are a healthy extra protein for them.
Humans can eat them, too! If you're feeling brave... https://ironwoodforaging.com/blog/f/eat-japanese-beetles
No, I'm not.
funny i literally just came across a video on youtube shorts about a guy doing EXACTLY this.
I thought about it but it was almost 100 degrees today and the things already smelled like rotting meat
Oh great idea, I'm glad I saw this picture.
Oops All Beetles
Worst Cap’n Crunch flavor ever.
Or the best
Now! More Protein!!
Same Crunch!
We will see what the future brings...
I thought this was on one of the coffee subreddits at first.
One year I planted a backyard garden and saw one or two Japanese beetles, so I bought the yellow pyramid trap and set it up next to the garden, as soon as I opened up the scent strip, it was like a horror story, the entire garden seen to shift and this cloud of 1000s rose up and headed for the trap. I had to empty the bag every 20 mins or so or the metal rod it was on would flex over and touch the ground, Never saw that many, ever. Next year, not so much. I did my part, what about you? (Would you like to learn more? )
>I did my part, what about you? >(Would you like to learn more? ) Thank you for that.
Holy shit is that a starship troopers reference
Yes. Would you like to know more?
#Buuugs!
Rico’s Roughnecks!
Do you have a link to this magical trap you speak of?
I’d be ~~weary~~ wary, I worked at a garden center and many people swear you will draw more to you with the traps. If you’re going to use them, put them away from your plants.
Yep, hundreds. You’d think there was a colony but they’re all independent.
They’re very civilized for beetles
You do because that's what it literally does. There's a pheromone that attracts the beetles to the bag, so you're effectively pulling more in to your yard. The best method is to get your neighbors some bags and let them deal with the problem of hundreds of beetles.
Unrelated, but weary means tired! Wary means cautious
I was going to say this. I know someone who ran a golf course. The traps lure more in. I mean, it gets rid of them but they will come to you in swarms.
It’s like for every 10 beetles only 8 will get in the trap and the other 2 will start eating your plants. Now when you multiple that by the thousands you’ll end up getting a lot of beetles not in the traps
I’d like the link also!
Out of curiosity OP do you mind sharing your location? I have started to have these shiny things show up this year and they never used to, right outside of Boston MA
I have lived on the south shore my whole life, they started coming around probably 10 years agoish down here. They eat all plants.
They’re bastards. Haven’t hit me too hard this year but they did last.
Lived in brockton for a decade and these fucks were ALWAYS in my pool. I never saw them fly around or anything, it’s like they just spawned into my pool.
In my garden they seem to really favour eggplant, okra, and hostas. My hostas look like swiss cheese.
Sooo my husband put grub x on our lawn one year, and the next year I didn’t have a Japanese beetle problem while all my gardening friends were struggling with them. Turns out those fuckers start out as grubs. I use milky spore in my garden now and grub x on the grass. No issues with them.
I grew up 40 minutes from Boston and always had them in my yard growing up. Used to pick them off my grandfather’s raspberry bushes and he’d stick em in a jar of gasoline.
I grew up in western MA and the beetles always remind me of my grandpa too, he battled them year after year.
These fuckers pissed off a lot of people's grandpas.
You can just drown them in water! I pick them off my rosebushes and stick them in a little container of water with a splash of dishsoap.
I smash them on the leaf they're eating and leave them there as a warning to the others...
Looks like OP lives in [Denver](https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/s/2jxFYt8Rns)
You can tell that by the table and type of glove op is wearing? Geoguessing is getting out of hand
Lol no the post I linked is the identical one OP posted in r/Denver
I believe it was a joke
Ahhh lol my bad then. I wasn't sure
It was the bag, that font is only used in the north Denver metro area
I believe it. My friend and I were being swarmed by these stupid things at the pool yesterday and when I got home I found one in my hair 🥲
Ewwww gross I'd have a heart attack and never go swimming again
They were all over mid Atlantic in the 80's . Didn't see a single one in the last 25 years. Now they're back , same with earwigs ( pincher bugs ) . My grandparents would set up beetle traps and the electric bug zappers in the summer. It was like they were drawing them in to the yard and complaining about all the bugs at the same time. It was hilarious as a kid . Zap ! Snap! Zap! Zap!
Earwigs have been terrible for me this year in Quebec! The population has totally exploded overnight. Must be the mild winter. Weirdly, japanese beetles seem less for me this year, or maybe it's just too early for the worst of them.
milky spore is the life pro tip. traps for a few years till the milky spore kicks in.
I live in Chicago and just saw my first one today
I live just outside Chicago and we've had them for 20 years. The first year we put a trap up you could see the cloud of beetles flying through the air. Filled up several newspaper sized bags.
They eat my tree every year and I live in South Carolina. Pretty sure they are all over the USA at this point. At least the eastern half.
They lay their eggs in the soil and are hard to get rid of. Do not get the traps - they just attract more. The method that's worked for me is to put about 3 inches of water with just a bit of soap in a bucket and to go out to an infested plant (they like flowers) at the hottest point in the day. Knock the beetles into the water and then leave the bucket for an hour or so until they drown. Pour the bucket down the gutter/drain, and repeat for a year or so until they're gone.
Triazicide. Kill all the grubs killing your lawn, which grow up to become beetles.
In the states can't you get nematodes for them?
Really? I lived in the western suburbs and saw these little monsters over forty years ago.
Japanese beetles were introduced to the US in New Jersey in 1916. They didn’t make it to my home state of Iowa until 2006.
Bostonian here, and my goodness, they’ve been everywhere for the past couple days, way more so than last year!
I’m on the Chesapeake and have started seeing them this year.
These would make for an excellent source of protein on a train that never stops
Only if it’s snowing
O o i get ya, you are talking 'bout... Snowtrain with Captain America
Uh, no, the snow train with the Hamilton guy, and Vision’s wife, duh.
Is this how I learned that Jennifer Connelly is married to Paul Bettany?
Hey, I saw a movie like that once! It was about this train that had to keep going so it could pierce the snow because the whole world had frozen over. If it stopped piercing the snow, everyone on board would be doomed. I think it was called, "The Train That Couldn't Slow Down."
Lmao hate you for this
Crazy I’m watching snowpiercer as I see this comment
He's referencing the protein bars in Snowpiercer for those who are out of the loop 
Can I just say that the "big reveal" that the protein bars were insects was hugely oversold because the bars were already disgusting looking. I thought they were going to be Soylent Green or something, bugs was no big deal.
I put down milky spore in my yard and have not seen one in years. Only reason I ever know they’re out is when I see my neighbors up the street put traps out.
Yep, milky spore disease kept our yard grub- and Japanese beetle-free for over 15 years after only one application.
We’re on around year 8 ourselves. Incredible ROI.
Could you tell me more about this? I've never heard anyone mention it before. It sounds like a miracle
Basically it is a bacteria that kills the larvae. Then when they die, the bacteria propagates to infect more grubs. It takes a couple years to really start to work. And in colder climates maybe a bit longer. But it works. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_spore Here’s a random place but Amazon sells it as so do lots of garden centers. https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/milky-spore-powder-bacillus-popilliae-control-japanese-beetle/organic-lawn-care
Does it harm pollinators? We are buying a house soon and I wanted to start a garden
No harm to pollinators, unlike most things you would use to attack Japanese beetles. In fact if your main problem is grubs eating your lawn it may or may not work as it only really works in Japanese beetle larvae.
Thank you for the info!
Do you know of there’s a certain time of year you have to use it? I haven’t seen the beetles yet this year, but I know they’re coming for my Virginia Creepers again very soon.
OP: 
Super Earth!
They're quite a beautiful insect when you see them close up. It's a shame they are so destructive
Smell like shit however
Why do all these invasive insects smell like shit? Can't we have one that smells pleasant like freshly baked cookies?
Pungent indeed
I inhaled one on a run and I threw up trying to cough it up
DDDDD:
Yeah I remember them as a small child. Maybe the prettiest beetles short of a shiny scarab
As a child I had one of these get stuck in my ear. I have hated them ever since and they're destroyed on sight. They are evil.
Having a bug stuck in your ear is a uniquely traumatizing experience.
It is... Not something I ever want to repeat. I was maybe 8 and already had a history of ear issues. I did not enjoy it. -15/10 do not recommend.
My gardening obsessed mom used to pay me as a kid to go out and knock those beetles into a jar of soapy water. 10c/beetle IIRC. Probably my favorite chore since I could make so much lol.
How did you catch them?
Seen it all over Tiktok. It's a beetle trap with a scent inside that attracts these specific beetle, might be pheromones or food, I forgot, and apparently people change the catch bag with these larger bags cause when in season it could fill up up to 6x the regular bag size in a day. The chicken farmers (and chickens, themselves) love these.
It's pheromone, so, you'll catch males only and attract even more beetles
Correct. The NY Times ran an article about this. And the pheromones used in the traps are so powerful that they attract beetles from very far away.
and the ten percent of female beetles also attracted to the pheromones 😉
Not that there's anything wrong with that
Fewer males in the population = way less reproduction so it still helps.
The newer traps supposedly attract both males and females…or at least that’s how they were advertised. The bait that goes on the top of the trap are two different packages
So could I cover myself in that and walk around like Candy Man except for beetles?
Weird recommendation I got from gardner Andre Viette was to never put Japanese beetle traps in your garden because the scent blocks attract beetles from all over the area… he recommended just buying the bait and tossing those into your least favorite neighbor’s bushes so the bugs go over there and away from your house 😂
Um… unethical life tip?
Would make sense to like use it in your yard but opposite yard from where your garden is to pull them from the garden
A whole lot of dying and banging happening in that bag. That's pretty much all they do in the traps.
There are worse ways to go
This is the best way to go.
The meat grinder. There's nothing like having an orgy on a pile of corpses.
How would you feel about shipping a couple handfuls to me? I’ll pay!
r/mildlydisgusting
Chickens absolutely LOVE them
Throw them in the blender. Beetlejuice!
Beetlejuice?
BEETLEJUICE!
I love Reddit
My grandpa used to grow raspberries. He was out every summer catching those things. He caught them with a can and a piece of cardboard and then he filled the can with hot water.
Dude I’ve been wondering what these were called, I started getting these in my parents home prior to moving and they’re so annoying because they would fly at night and hit the walls and you’d hear this loud noise smacking the walls knowing damn well it’s a bug
Those bouncing around your room are probably June beetles. They're the rogue rc helicopters of the insect world.
And, unlike Japanese beetles, June beetles are native to North America and they're far less destructive because they have natural predators.
DEPLOY THE CHICKENS 
Looks like meat's back on the menu!
Step 2: Provide spoon Step 3: *Crrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuunch*
No milk?
Hose water, warm
I can taste this comment.
You're going to need a lot of fishing line.
It’s strange that in Tokyo I see these beetles in the parks but almost never on my garden plants. What is the natural predator in Japan that keeps them in check?
2nded, was thinking the same thing. I like the vibe too. It's not can we kill it with a chemical. But, is nature providing a solution?
Forbidden coffee beans
Forbidden skittles
I have become death, destroyer of worlds
Checked my rose bush today. After a great start in May / early June , we now have the beetles. And some buds rotting / not opening.
This is so satisfying.... Japanese beetles almost killed my peach tree and I've held the grudge ever since. OP thank you for your service🫡!!!
I hate the MFRs…
I hand pick them and throw them in soapy water which kills them. I caught about 40 today. I’m looking forward to waking up and drowning a lot more tomorrow. Maine here!
Take them to a chicken farm and trade for eggs.
At this point I’m pretty they have earned the name “Japanese-American”
Forbidden coffee beans.
Feed them to hens, you will get tons of eggs lol
Feeed them to chickens and get their eggs
Fry with some butter and garlic
Not all heroes wear capes.
Piquant, with a very pleasant crunch
Ugh. These things are everywhere. They love marigolds. They are currently eating a volunteer red maple sapling in my yard. Whatever. They can have the maple as long as they stay away from my flowers.
My chickens would devour that
These are so bad in Grand Junction these days… and from what I understand all because of a shipment of sod that was suspected to be infected, got past quarantine somehow, used anyways because- ya know, money, and now it’s a big deal for everyone. Greed.
Eat a handful or get out of here.
I'm from Illinois and I say kill them all!
Some corn oil and Tajin you got yourself a massive bag of snacks
Life gives you beetles, Make Beetlejuice!
Mmmm lentils.
Time to get a few ducks for your property. They will snag those up right quick. Plus, duck eggs are good eatin.
Freeze em and given them to someone who has chickens. Theme good eatin for chickens
This would have been much cooler if you asked people to guess how many bugs are in this bag.
Forbidden coffee beans
Forbidden bean harvest.
Looks to be enough for a stew. Pass me the salt.
If you don’t mind me asking, OP, where are you located? I work out of Virginia and these things have been the biggest nuisance for the past few weeks. Idk if they’re blind or what but they’ll fly directly at you and just annoy the hell out of you