Popillia Japonica aka Dirty Rotten ScoundrelPolillia Japonica, otherwise known as the Japanese Beetle, has invaded our Church Garden and is happily munching the blueberries, the zucchini, and the spuds. Garden Manager Kari Keever made a quick inspection of the plants and came away shaking her head. Last year, several gardeners were defeated by these pesky invaders--but this year--we laugh in their faces!*
That's because we are using several organic concoctions that drive the little buggers wild and then kills them deader than a doornail.** One such potion is a mixture of Redman chewing tobacco and Ivory Soap. You take a plug of Redman, soak it in a pint of water, mix in a 1/2 cup of Ivory Soap, add water, and spray. It is a short term solution--you have to spray every other day--but it is fun to see the beetles roll over and wiggle their feet in the air before they die an excruciating death. (Thank heavens we're not Buddhists.)
Otherwise, the garden is doing well. Stop by and take a look.
*It looks really stupid when we do this so, if you try it at home make sure the neighbors aren't watching.
**What is a doornail, by the way? What does a doornail look like? And, how does it differ from other nails?
***Those are good questions.
ReplyDeleteI use a zippo on them. Zippo! And they are gone.
ReplyDeleteA door nail is used on farm buildings with plank or board doors. Because the doors were slammed a lot the nails would fall out and be dead.
ReplyDelete