Japanese beetles are a real pain here. They died back the year after the drought but are back with a vengeance. The larvae live in your lawn as grubs and feed on the roots of grasses. These are what cause the brown patches that you see all over your lawn. You can treat your lawn with an insecticide specific for grubs or you can use the organic Milky Spore which is pricey but acts for 10 years.
I like to use a citrus spray to deter the darn things from my plants. I boil the peels of citrus fruits until the skins are soft, cool then strain into a spray bottle. Spray the foliage of the plants that the bugs are eating. They do not like the citrus oil and will fly off somewhere else to dine. You can use orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit peels for this. My best results seem to be with the grapefruit.
The drawback is that it needs to be reapplied after every rain. Give it a try. It works.
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~ Patti ~
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