Japanese Beetle Blues, Part II

Thank you so much for checking out my recent blog post about the dreaded Japanese beetle.  Wouldn't you know that just today I received an email from Gardens Alive, a well known environmentally friendly mail order company out of Indiana about a new organic product to take care of your Japanese beetles.  Use of organic products in the garden do not necessarily mean they are without unintended consequences to beneficial insects, people, pets, birds or fish.  But... I think... I can say this with confidence, the product Gardens Alive is offering is worth consideration.  I'm going to try it and I'll definitely let you know how it works. 

The product is called Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) galleriae, Strain SDS-502 or beetleJUS!™.  Catchy name for sure!

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

beetleJUS!™

Many gardeners have heard or used Bacillus Thuringiensis products over the years, probably the most well known being Bt Israelensis found in mosquito dunks.  Bt is a microbiol insecticide and when ingested paralyses the digestive system so the insect pest stops feeding and dies within a few days.  It may seem gross (my sister's description of JBs) to describe their death sequence, but I'm happy to do it if it will save some beloved ornamental plants from Japanese beetle defoliation and destruction!

The upside to Btg is they say it doesn't hurt the good guys and gals in our gardens - bees, butterflies, lady beetles, people, pets and wildlife.  It can be directly sprayed on adults (BeetleJUS!™) or used on the lawn to target grubs (GrubHALT!™).

Click on the links below for more information on Btg. Special thanks to Mr. Joe Magazzi, who owns Green Earth Ag and Turf LLC in Branford, CT who spent generous phone time explaining Btg and providing the documents.  Joe's company wholesales Btg across the United States. They call it beetleGONE!^®

BeetleGONE!®

BeetleGONE!® Product label 

beetleJUS!™

2015 Green Thumb Awards

Phyllom Bio-Products PowerPoint 

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)