The Japanese beetles arrived in this area a year ago. They are very pretty beetles. However, they are pests. They eat a lot of plants (flowers and leaves) in their six to eight week adult life. I found this Japanese beetle on a hollyhock blossom.
People's reactions to the Japanese beetle vary. My neighbor to the east leaves them alone. She does not like to kill anything. A friend's husband uses insect spray at the first sign of the Japanese beetles. I have been using an effective, but time consuming method to get rid of them. I pick them up and drop them into a bucket half full of water with a bit of dish washing soap. The soap prevents them from flying or crawling out of the bucket. The Japanese beetles then drown. I usually let insects live in peace in my garden, but I do not like how the Japanese beetles eat up so many of the plants.
