Sunday, July 15, 2007

I hate Japanese beetles......and some birdy delicate parts

I have declared war on the Japanese beetles.
And in the light of my post on the RAPTOR blog, I had to find something that would get the Japanese beetles and nothing else.
The easy way out would have been to get some all-purpose insect killer, and end up killing all the bugs in the yard. Did you know there is a product called Bug-Free Yard? WTF?
I chose the difficult way out. I had to go to three stores until I found the Japanese beetle bag traps with the pheromone/floral lures. I even went to a store I despise. I won't say the name...but it's two words, the first word begins with an "H" and the second word rhymes with "creepo" They didn't even carry the bag traps. So I finally found some at Lowe's, which is a store I love. Helpful staff, clean, bright.
The other one is like a big scary warehouse you would find in a horror movie.

I was horrified at the selection of pesticides. I watched a very obese woman choose a "snake remover" chemical ( I couldn't help but notice her, because her rather large ass was in my way) and I can't imagine snakes being such a problem here in Southwest Ohio that someone would NEED a chemical to get rid of them! Mice and rat traps, I understand. Indoor ant poison, I understand. Indoor flea and tick spray and powder, I understand.
(I had to get some of that today...forgot to give Nellie her Advantage and she brought them in. Bad pet owner! Bad! Bad!)
But mole traps? Skunk/rabbit/possum/whatever repellent or poison? Full spectrum insect killers???
I say again, WTF?

Bag O' Beetles
My Bag O' Beetles.
I went out before sundown to check, and there were already about twenty beetles in there. YES! That will teach you to eat my first wisteria blossoms! I was able to enjoy them a whole 12 hours before they were eaten.

I love our prairie. Every day, there is a new thing to marvel at:
I don't know what it is but I like it
I don't know what it is, but I like it.

I tried to get a few good pictures of a pair of goldfinches sampling our ginormous sunflowers, but they kept turned their butts up in the air.
I almost deleted this one, but I noticed a "small" tidbit...
A goldfinches what-not
This is another way you can tell male songbirds from female ones.
During nesting season (and goldfinches are in theirs right now) the male's naughty bits swell up enough to be noticeable. I knew the basics of their reproductive systems, but this is the first time I got a peek at the package, know what I'm sayin'?



I haven't been able to find a single pipevine swallowtail caterpillar for 2 days. I assume they are pupating and are just hiding very well.
But I found a whole new batch of eggs to watch!

PV eggs!

7 comments:

NM High School Sports News said...

Took me a little staring to notice the goldfinch...he blends in real nice. I never heard of that beattle bag...how cool. I'll have the keep that in mind if I ever have problems.

Ron

LauraHinNJ said...

I don't know Susan - I think that bag and its pheromones may just lure in all the neighborhood beetles to your place!

Cool that you've got more cats - did you even get to bring any of the last ones inside or did you decide not to try farming them?

;-)

nina at Nature Remains. said...

I'd offer my wheel bug, but he's pretty backed up over here right now tending the grapes for me.
I read something about luring birds right TO the beetles by adding a birdbath in the middle of where they're the most numerous.
I know you have a water source in your hummingbird area--ever tried a bath near your wisteria?

Mary said...

I heard the same thing about those beetle bags. They'll come from everywhere else to visit you! I'm smacking beetles everywhere and getting sick of doing it, too!

Mary said...

Let me know if they stay off your flowers and shrubs.

NatureWoman said...

It's amazing the crap they have to give the innocent life outside, isn't it? Snakes, who the hell would want to kill snakes. They're (mostly) wonderful around our parts because they eat the snails!
Oh yeah, you're keeping your neighborhood beetle free, but just as long as it works in your yard, that's all that matters!

DK & The Fluffies said...

Bugs, birds and porn... cool