The Japanese Beetles are here in full force. They are on many of my ornamentals but seem to prefer the sassafras and blackberries. Fortunately, we have 3 very large sassafras trees in the yard. They seem to be congregating there more than anywhere else. That is probably what is saving a lot of my other plantings. This is really gross but there are so many of them on the sassafras trees that when you stand next to them you can hear the frass (bug poop) dropping from the leaves. It sounds like rain.
As can be seen by the picture they skeletonize the leaves. It looks like fall under the sassafras trees right now. Some people use traps to try to trap them out but that can actually increase your problems. Word goes out that something tasty is in your yard (the lure in the trap) and beetles from all over the neighborhood come to your yard. Not all are trapped and the ones that aren’t are looking for a free meal aka your garden. There is a lawn treatment of Milky Spore but that doesn’t do much unless the entire neighborhood does it to. I could spray but they will only be around for several more weeks mating then the females will lay their eggs in the lawn. These will hatch into c shaped grubs that will feed on the grass roots and emerge next summer as adults. So, for now I pick off what I can, stay out from under the sassafras and hope they leave quickly.