What to do?
Actually, I haven't had much trouble from them this year. They're nearly non-existent in my yard compared to years past. When they made their debut in late June this year (a little early for our area) I was spraying for the dreaded pumpkin vine borer at the time and also sprayed the beetles and the main areas they were occupying with Malathion. While there's little to predict what kind of Japanese beetle season you'll have or what could actually reduce their populations, I'm experiencing a significant reduction from last year. I just can't say why with any certainty.
Others I've talked with have tried the following with some success:
Putting out Japanese beetle traps
The traps have a pheromone that attract the beetles who are super interested in mating as frequently as possible before their die at the end of the month. You will attract other beetles to your yard, maybe from the whole neighborhood. If you have a large lot, put the traps to the far reaches of the lot to draw them away from flowers and food crops. Expect to dump or toss them frequently. Dead Japanese beetles will happily compost. Heck, they're so dumb, some of the live ones will too.
Terro mosquito fogger product
I don't know if this is a good idea for anything you're planning to eat later; I don't know what's in it. A fellow told me that he was using this for mosquitoes and found the Japanese beetles on his flowers disappeared as well. I'd guess any beneficial insects would be eliminated too... This one's a last resort in my opinion.
Grub control
Japanese beetles spend most of their lives as grubs under your lawn. They only hatch as beetles in July to mate and lay more eggs for next year's beetles before they die. While some state extension services note that they cannot determine a that the beetles are controlled by grub control (they cannot see a direct relationship between using grub control and beetle populations, especially if, for instance, you're the only one doing it in your neighborhood), a fellow gardener reported success using grub control products in a limited and unique way.
She put grub control around the locations the beetles were the thickest the year before last, instead of treating her whole lawn. She treated under certain trees and around her roses. The result last year was fewer beetles, though she did not use grub control again that summer. This year, she is again, rife with beetles.
Mechanical removal
I know, this method is never fun, fast, or sexy, but it works 100% with no ill effects. Go out in the morning when the beetles are slow (they're always slow to me and dumb as posts) and flick them of the plants into soapy water. Done.
So, what works? Who knows. If you find a method that has been reliable year after year, post a comment - I'm super interested to know.
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