Hungry

Japanese beetles chew voraciously and multi-task better than most creatures I know. From my vantage point, they down rose petals and copulate at the same time with little effort. The sex part alarms me because this means that females lay eggs that hatch into grubs that grow into hungry beetles that digest the few successful plants living in my yard. Do not be alarmed: these are not red lady beetles with black spots. These are Popillia japonica with green iridescent shells that are likely to survive the armageddon. The warrior in our household takes coffee along on the morning beetle hunt. The captured ones drown in a bucket of soapy water. The others drop from blossoms and burrow into mulch. This no pesticide treatment calls for the grass to die for the rest of summer and in the spring the application of beneficial nematodes (what the heck are those?) here and on the neighbors lawns. A more lethal and undesired treatment kills bees and butterflies. I scan the information sheet from our local university extension service looking for alternatives. One not discussed takes shape: allow the beetles to make this place their own while I indulge my own multi-tasking. This could take some time. They've only just discovered the grape vines outback.