Nova Scotia gardeners, homeowners endure Japanese beetle infestations

Global News

3 days ago

There's something bugging homeowners and gardeners across Nova Scotia this month, and it's not ticks.
The Japanese beetle population has grown in recent years – decimating flowers and foliage all over Canada.
Joanne Fancy says the pests have surrounded her Halifax-area property and are preying on her willow, maple and birch trees, as well as bordering vegetation.
She's spent some $1,200 trying to get rid of them, including the use of professional extermination services.
'I'm not going to say kill, but they destroy the look of the landscaping. It's disheartening,' she said of the invasive beetles.
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A pair of Japanese beetles skeletonize a raspberry leaf, with many other leaves already damaged. Sharon Pfeifer / Global News
Fancy isn't alone. Experts have been swarmed with questions from concerned landowners across the province.
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'This time of year, my phone is ringing off the hook. Every year it seems to be worse and worse,' said Paul Manning, an environmental sciences professor at Dalhousie University.
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Many people have turned to Japanese Beetle traps. But local gardening expert, Niki Jabbour, says they have to be used properly or they could just add to the pest problems.
'Anybody who's got a trap in their yard will tell you it's full of Japanese beetles. But only about, you know, 75 per cent of the beetles will go in it,' she said.
'So you'll be attracting more beetles to your yard, but not trapping all of them.'
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If you do plan on using a trap, she recommends placing it as far away from your garden as possible.
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'The problem with these buckets or traps is that beetles are relatively clumsy fliers. So they can be attracted from a long way in, based on the smell,' added Manning.
'They can fly in, hit the bucket and then bounce out and end up feeding on something totally different.'
Manning and Jabbour both say there's no need to shell out on expensive solutions.
'Something that doesn't involve buying anything that does help impact the overall population, is handpicking. So put on a pair of garden gloves, take a bucket of soapy water, you can add a little dash of vegetable oil to it as well,' said Jabbour.
'Grab (the bugs) with your gloved hand and throw them into the bucket of soapy water.'
Manning adds it's a 'pretty humane way of killing them.'
'If you can do that once a day at around 5 to 7 (p.m.), that's something you can do to give your tree a fighting chance,' he said.
— with a file from Rebecca Lau