Japanese Beetles

They're here.  They've actually been around for a while now; they usually show up around Memorial Day, plus or minus a week or so.  This is the time of year when they begin to wane, typically.

When I first moved into my suburban house, I had a serious problem with them.  They swarmed and ravaged anything they were attracted to.  The picture below shows an old rugosa rose that I had that they would inundate.

I think the problem might have been that they were in the sod that was laid in the front yard (and everyone else's front yards) when the subdivision was built.  They live first as grubs; eggs laid this year will spend the next several months or so as larvae in the soil, chewing on roots, before pupating, then emerging as adults next spring.

Rain matters, too.  North Georgia had a serious drought a number of years ago, which made a big impact on the Japanese beetle numbers the next year.  It also knocked down the number of fireflies considerably, for the same reason.  Then last year was a serious drought year, but it has been a number of years since I had large numbers of beetles.

Last year I had more than this year, however--they seem most interested in my apple trees currently; they also go for peach and cherry tree leaves, and will nibble on crepe myrtle blossoms.  Roses are their BAE, but the rugosa is now gone.