I'm really struggling to manageJapanese Beetles in my garden and want to avoid using pesticides because they're harmful to beneficial insects like bees. I'm considering using Botanigard, a natural pesticide, on my roses and peach trees if I have to. What I'm really curious about is whether bats can help control these pesky beetles. They fly in the evening, and I'm not sure how effective bats would be in eating them. Has anyone got insights or experiences with this?
3 Answers
I think beetles might be more active in the late afternoon into the evening, which could be a challenge for bats since they're more about nighttime hunting. Just something to keep in mind!
You could try using traps designed for Japanese Beetles; they are not perfect but can help. I've had success with hornet traps in my garden, and the results were promising last summer. Just keep in mind that they can catch other types of bugs too.
Bats do eat flying insects, but they tend to prefer moths and mosquitoes over beetles. There's not a lot of concrete evidence about their effectiveness against Japanese Beetles specifically. You might want to set up bat boxes to encourage them, but don't rely solely on them to control the beetle population.
Yeah, I've noticed them mostly in the late afternoon too.