Japanese Beetle Discovery

If you suffer from the Japanese Beetles, I wonder if you are noticing the same thing I am?
The don't eat natives. They like the roses, I don't know where their lineage is, I know some are Canadian and the multi-flora seems native??
They do not eat any native plant in my border!
Plants not touched:
Tomato Pepper Rudbekia Phlox Iris Daylily Annual vinca Pansy Petunia Viburnum Heuchera
Lily of the Valley Honey Locust Seven sons flower Peony Canna Begonia Mint Potentilla Sedum Evergreens
Ornamental Grasses Clematis Lilac Echinacea
The odd thing is, they do nibble on the zonal geraniums, but I find them dead under those! In the garden center, the geranium hanging baskets had a row of dead Japanese Beetles under them. Nowhere else did this happen. Then, the same thing happened at home. I found them dead inside the geranium pot and around the outside of it.
So, I looked around the internet for some more clues.
Guess what??

It's pretty simple: Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have determined that the flower petals of the common geranium can be deadly to the Japanese beetle.
In experiments at the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Wooster, Ohio, within 30 minutes of consuming red, white, or salmon geranium petals, the beetles rolled over on their backs, legs and antennae slowly twitching, and became paralyzed.

They recovered within 24 hours, but here's the beautiful part:
Were this to happen outside the lab - say, on a golf course, in fields of corn, soybeans, or grapes, or in backyard gardens - the immobilized beetles likely would dry up, rendering them easy prey to ants, birds, toads, and moles.  from: http://articles.philly.com/2010-04-30/news/24957098_1_beetles-geranium-pest/3

The USDA is working on a patent for a spray based on the geranium.
It's like the crack cocaine, they eat the geranium and become drunk and paralyzed, falling on their backs, unable to move. Scientists have studied this and noticed that even when "healthier" beetle options were close, they couldn't stop themselves, returning over and over, and getting polluted and eventually dying.

If I saw a beetle party on my geraniums and they were killing themselves on the drug, I would not stop them, to tell you the truth....

Another interesting beetle fact: Japanese Beetles attract other Japanese Beetles. If you can get out in the middle of July and knock the first wave down, either by the soapy water method or Sevin, you can certainly effect the future numbers of these devils.
So next year, when picking annuals, remember: Geraniums are the death of Japanese Beetles!!

Would ya gimme a break???

I seem to be encountering every obstacle in my landscape, this year. One thing that promised to be plentiful was the basil. The Genovese Italian basil with the monstrous glossy green leaves was overtaking even the pepper plants, in size. I saw lots of pesto in my future!
I was so pleased with this crop, I begged Mother-in-Law to come for dinner of grilled pizzas with tomatoes and mozzarella and this fresh basil. She accepted and I went out to water them.
I couldn't believe what I saw when I brought the hose over to my raised herb bed. The plants were covered in Japanese Beetles. Covered. Most of the plants were chewed, the leaves were lace.
Well, folks, I am not too proud to tell you I sat down and cried. Right then and there. I stomped my feet and had a tantrum, threw myself down and cried. Just like a grown woman should.
I would sure like something to go right, I thought to myself. I couldn't spray food with Sevin, like I did the crabapples and Linden. What will stop this scourge?? It's like a Biblical plague. Then, it dawned on me:
Floating Row Cover
I picked myself up off the lawn and ran inside and "googled" Floating Row Cover. Few places carry it, anymore. It seems to be out of garden fashion. Any place that did carry it wouldn't deliver it for 10 days.

The Japanese Beetles will have totally devoured my basil by then!!

I texted Ronda, who seemed to have so many good ideas. She came thru, yet again. She suggested tulle. The tulle that was in the fabric section at the WallyWorld. She's brilliant, I tell you. A gardener needs a friend like that, you know? Luckily, she was going to the city, she says she'll pick it up for me. In a matter of hours, we had the offending beetles shaken off the basil and the tulle pinned around the basil plants. 

Later that evening, I went out to check and sure enough, there were Japanese Beetles on the inside, munching away on my basil. They were probably hiding under the basil leaves when we placed the tulle. I took the tulle off, flung the beetles away, stripped off all the chewed up leaves and pinned the tulle back in place. 

This morning, I went straight out there, to see how it worked. This is what I found:

These are on the OUTSIDE! It works!! The tulle is very fragile, I snagged it on the small tomato cage the keeps it above the plants themselves, and that tore a tiny hole in it, so I will have to be more careful.

Today was a miserable day. Truly, I think it is the worst day I've ever had at this job. I went to 3 stores, tossing plants in the dumpsters and by the third store, it was well into the 90's, with heat index over 110°. I 

thought I was going to be sick for about an hour. I look back on my conversations with my friends at that store, and I wonder if they knew how sick I felt. I kept look at her and thinking, she looks great, why isn't she feeling bad? How isn't she so hot??

I needed to move on, fully intent on going to one last store, so I finished tossing some stuff and I said good-bye and headed south east. I got ten miles down the road and became dizzy, feeling out of control in my car. I pulled the car over in a Sonic drive thru and suddenly knew I was in trouble. I felt very sick, my stomach cramping and my head pounding. I couldn't stand the air conditioning in the car, any more. I opened the car door and fell out onto a strip of grass. I was dizzy and my ears were buzzing. I could hear the bell sounding over and over, the noise the car makes when the key is in the ignition and you leave the door open. I was just trying to hear the bell, trying to make sure I stayed with it, trying not to pass out. But it wasn't the bell...it was an employee of the Sonic. She was saying, ma'am? ma'am? ma'am?
She had brought out a huge cup of ice water and she was holding it out to me. Oh, I felt so silly, sitting in the grass with the door open like that, the talk radio was absolutely blaring! I felt fuzzy, but I was drinking the water and I felt a little bit more normal. I thanked her profusely and I ran into the restroom and got very very sick. I gave that Sonic all the water back. I realized I was probably in heat distress, or something. I ran the cold water in the Sonic sink and practically took a bath in it. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and my face was so red. I was scared to drive because I was shaking so much. After a while, the employee who brought the water was knocking on the door to see if I was alive. 

I opened the door and told her I was ok, that I felt much better. I said, I bet you think I am a drunk driver or something, don't you?? But she said, no, I was very dirty and had a tree leaf in my hair, she could tell I worked outside because my shirt had a greenhouse's name on it. I thanked her again and got back in the car, (which I had left running with the key in it!), I got in the drive thru and ordered 3 drinks. Large. With sugar. 

50 miles down the road, I began to feel normal again. I was sweating again. 

I got in the shower when I got home and sat and had a cup of tea. I realized I hadn't eaten all day and made the strangest thing for dinner:

 

Spaghetti noodles with American cheese. Can you imagine? Two reasons to question my sanity. 

1) I continue to do this job with it being even hotter tomorrow

2) Spaghetti with American cheese???

Fighting Back!!

Goat Cheese rolled in garden herbs, served with french bread rounds...

Grilled pizza, have you tried this, yet?? So easy!
The next pictures are not as appetizing.
It has almost become impossible to be in my gardens. The Japanese Beetles are incredibly thick. They are huge, lazy fliers and will fly right into me. I noticed the last plum tree looked funny, so I walked back there. I was horrified by what I found.

Giant masses of these monsters have turned the upper canopy to lace. A new baby Linden was planted 2 weeks ago...

Trees need leaves to make food and this poor guy is on the brink. I dusted some Chicken manure around the base and let the hose trickle on him for several hours. 

I had had quite enough. I angrily stomped away, swatting beetles.

UGH!!!

I ran to the store and purchased a new sprayer and Sevin concentrate. I slowly and carefully sprayed 2 gallons of the bug killer all over the trees and the ground underneath.

Two hours later:

I could hear the tree breath a sigh of relief. The ground under this tree is literally moving with dying beetles. I spared you that image. I don't like to use the chemicals, but I felt is was time. All those beetles are making more baby beetles! I couldn't stand the thought. Hopefully, the worst is over.

I was careful to keep Gracie out of that area!

but she won't ever be too far from the grill with Dad! Last night I made Greek chicken with saganaki and salad. Cass will not eat chicken and she is on vacation with friends, so Jeff and I enjoyed it. 

Saganaki= flaming cheese = OPA!!

   

YUM! I hope you all enjoy your day! Stay cool out there and don't like the beetles get ya!

The Beetle Dance, that's all.

Here is a picture of Nicky Plox. If hold your mouse over this picture, you will find a picture of a bucket of dead beetles.

I was moving the hose around outside and noticed about 137 Japanese Beetles on William Baffin. I ran in and got a small bowl of hot soapy water. As I tried to "flick" the beetles off the plant, into the bowl, some of them flew away, landing in my hair!!
You might want to use the term Freaking Out, here. It is probably appropriate. I am screaming and hollering and flinging my head around, trying to get them out of my hair, all the while, Schatz the WonderDog and Gracie Mae are jumping around me and barking their fool heads off. After 5 or 6 minutes of this flailing around and hollering, I was pretty sure there were no more bugs in my hair.
I calmed down, smoothed my hair down and looked around. The little kids next door were frozen in their steps, staring at me with their mouths wide open.
Sheesh... Haven't they ever seen a Beetle Dance before??

All of those came from one rose bush. I had had enough excitement so I turned to go in and saw the plum and cherry trees were crawling with them.
I should get those, too, but I simply couldn't dance another step. HA!!

Asparagus and the Poppy Queen

Queen Alexander and next year's crop

Schatz and Gracie find a tiny spot of shade.

and the destruction begins.......

Commander in Chief, my first lily

I was playing around with Picnik. I love this:

William Baffin pre Beetle
Have you ever grilled asparagus? So, so, soooo good.

Seriously good grilled food. Grilling makes the asparagus nutty and I shake on plenty of kosher salt. 

Today, this is photo is how I feel. 

After several long weeks of uncertainty, my husband a position with a company OUTSIDE of the printing industry. He will be working midnites, which will require a major adjustment to our lives, but he is excited about the offer and the benefits are even better than the other job, which was in a dying industry. 

Soon, my hubs and I will be married 20 years. It doesn't seem like that long. He says he knew we were meant to be together when he came to my apartment and saw it was decorated in Chicago Bears circa 1984. We have been very blessed. Twice he has been unemployed and twice he has found a way to turn it into a positive experience. At the time, I don't know that I would've said moving from Memphis to Northern Illinois was for the best, but today, I know it was. 

He has an extremely dry sense of humor, dipped in sarcasm. Much like a crabby Bob Newhart, I think. 

He cracks me up. 

Most of the time. 

We find ourselves spending a lot of time alone together (?) lately. The youngest is a senior in high school, the eldest is a senior in college. She is always busy and he lives in Champaign. It is just recently I realized, it will be happening more and more. Next summer, she will go away to college and we will be all that's left. 

It is our dream to live happily ever after.