ROSES and japanese beetle

[Yvonne]

HELP!

Can anyone tell me how I can eliminate Japanese beetle from the roses? They are prolific (roses and beetles) and the bronze / green beetles eat all the petals, very quickly!

I've tried picking them off and drowning them but there are just too many and I think I need some sort of pesticide now;

Any advise on what they're called in france or what products I can buy would really be appreciated.

Thanks,

Abi

[chris pp]

If that is what you have it is a "notifiable" insect in France under EU regulation, suggest you contact your Mairie or INRA without delay to check it out Popilla japonica is the Latin, makes identification easier.

I didn't actually know it was in France.

Chris

 

[Pixietoadstool]

Are you sure they aren't rose chafers?  We have had them and they are bronzy green colour - picture here.

http://www.uksafari.com/jpeg2/roschaf1.jpg

I don't know what to suggest regarding their elimination though.

Valerie

 

[Yvonne]

Chris & Valerie,

Thanks for your responses.

The reason that I think they are Japanese beetle is from what I have discovered on the internet. They have bottle green heads and bronze wings so they don't look like the chafer, there is a definate difference of colour between wings and head.

They don't seem to attack the cultivated roses, only the 'wild' scented ones and even then they much prefer the white to the pink. I've just been out with soapy water to knock them off the flowers and, on the white plants, there are at least 6 - 8 beetles to every flower. They don't really damage the foliage but they strip the flowers quite rapidly.

We had them last year but as the garden was still unkempt I didn't mind so much and there seem to be more of them this year.

Chris - Does that sound like Japanese beetle to you?

I will try to take a photo of one and post it (although I've never done that on here before so I'm not sure how its done!). I'd like to be as certain as possible before alarming the mairie!

Thanks again,

Abi 

 

[chris pp]

I think that Valerie hit the nail on the head with Rose Chafer Cetonia aurata which is one of the pollen beetles and although it may appear to be doing damage is quite OK and should be left alone on wild plants at any rate, you will find them on all sorts of flowers other than roses, thistles are another favourite.

Try Googling the Latin and looking at some pictures.

Chris

 

[Yvonne]

Hi,

Have looked at lots more pics and I think you are right. I believe it is known as  'La cétoine d'orée'  in French.

If they are harmless I'll try to leave them although they are rapidly stripping all of my flowers.

I don't want to use a pesticide as this may harm the birds so perhaps I'll try the soapy water again tomorrow to reduce their community size a little.

Tahnks for all your help,

Abi

 

[Cassis]

[quote user="abim"]

If they are harmless I'll try to leave them although they are rapidly stripping all of my flowers.

[/quote]

If they're stripping your flowers I wouldn't call them 'harmless'!  Are they too many to crush by hand (with gloves, of course)?  My preferred method of disposal.  Seems a shame to grow roses just to feed the insect life.

Edit - sorry, just seen what you said about too many to pick off and drown!  Apparently their larvae eat roots, so best not to leave them to their own devices ....

[Cassis]

There's a place in Hungary with an English language website that supplies pheromone traps for this bug.  May be able to get the same from another supplier in France?

http://www.julia-nki.hu/csalomon/kepek/us/2005csalolistEU.pdf

Otherwise there are chemical controls to kill soil pests (it's the larval stage you need to catch if they are like cockchafers, which I do know about) but some will kill other underground bugs as well.  I wonder if they would go for 'Appat vers-gris'? 

[chris pp]

Going back to what Abi said, on wild roses, well as far as I am concerned Rose chafers on wild roses sounds like a perfectly normal and sustainable process, no actual damage is done and it is likely that both species benefit and the 'knock on" is that a number of other species benefit in turn.

The beetle itself is food for Owls, Foxes, Badgers, Magpies, Crows, Hedgehogs and many more.

The pollination that takes place produces the rose hips which will sustain many birds and mammals during the winter months.

The food matrix continues, simply taking out one species after another because it offends our idea of "how it should be" leads to imbalances and a continuing fall in the number of species that we "prefer", hardly the way forward in my view.

You will no doubt be able to find many commercial web sites telling you that this is bad and that is bad and that they have a product to get rid of it for you, wonderful (not).

My advice is simple, try not to manicure your natural areas unless you spend a bit of time and effort finding out what is actually required and if you can't live with nature it may be better for all concerned to buy a place with a nice little garden where you can discourage wildlife with reduced consequences.

Think before you kill, Chris

[Cassis]

[quote user="chris pp"]

Going back to what Abi said, on wild roses, well as far as I am concerned Rose chafers on wild roses sounds like a perfectly normal and sustainable process,

[/quote]

Sorry, Chrispy, but Abi didn't say 'wild roses' in her first post.  Unless the original message has been edited, because when I read it it said 'the roses'.  If they are briar roses then fine, let them have a munch!

Edit - I see she does respecify as wild roses later - fair do's.