Nine reasons to LOVE killing Japanese beetles

Japanese beetles loved this part of the yard which includes day lilies and a sunflower grown from seeds acquired free at a highway welcome center in Kansas.

It might have been the fourth time I found a Japenese beetle in my thick hair, screamed, grabbed it by my fingers and threw it as far away as I could.

Or maybe it was when I was walking down the driveway, holding a dish of hot soapy water, and a Japenese beetle fell from the Linden tree above ... right into it. Score!

At a point I decided to blog about several benefits to fighting the Japanese beetles, one at a time. Humor helps when you do a chore you hate. With regrets to David Letterman, I offer ...

FUN benefits re: A beetle fight

9. Tree leaves: When the Japanese beetles make the leaves of your trees look like a spider web, the leaves will fall off your trees, and tidy tree owners will have at lease a month's edge on neighbors who also need, eventually, to rake up leaves. Bonus: The trees will look like they do in December, five months ahead of time.

8. Liberace: Japanese beetles have a bright color, which makes insect enthusiasts call them pretty. I find them easy to spot and drown as they look like six-legged bugs with Liberace-type coats.

7. Exercise: Really, what other chores get you outdoors on a daily basis, since June 20 in this part of Iowa?

6. Dexterity: Got the knack of knocking those pesky insects in that tub of hot, soapy water? Can you do it without harming the flowers the bugs have attacked? Bingo.

5. Home value: Fighting the Japanese beetles successfully helps maintain the outside look of your home; especially if you choose to put it on the market.

4. Driveway cleanliness: The chore of cleaning the driveway adds to an exercise routine, and helps in how others see your home (related to #5 and #7). This is only necessary if a homeowner has planted trees, such as Linden trees, next to the driveway. Fair warning, tree buyers!

3. Up-close awareness: When you try to find a Japanese beetle in a flower garden, the various blooms are up close and personal. How is this not a benefit?

2. Bug-fighting sales: Fighting Japanese beetles means a homeowner will likely invest in a product, like malathion or Neem. Economic help is good for everyone.

1. Top reason: Bug fighters will also notice, maybe for the first time, more beneficial insects in a garden including a wide variety of butterflies, and pollinators like bees.

Can you name another benefit?


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