Pesticide Safety Handbook

Tree & Shrub Applications:
Integrated Pest Management Applications (IPM)

Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 - See Application Chart

Step 5: Late June and early July bring another common pest to ornamentals and turf - the Japanese Beetle.

Skeletonized leaves are the characteristic damage these chewing insects cause. The hard-shelled adults have brown wing covers and metallic green bodies. A systematic insecticide is the best control for the adult Japanese Beetle. A safer, more effective approach is provided by the use of Milky Spore in the turf, which kills the larvae for a period of up to 20 years. Milky Spore is applied from August to late September. Pheromone traps are not recommended, as they will only increase the number of eggs deposited in the immediate area.