Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle Things

Posted on by Julia

July 6, 2026

On June 20, we picked blueberries. I am so glad we selected early, mid, and late-season berries. This has given us a steady crop of blueberries. The mid-season has produced the most berries.

I picked some ripe tomatoes. The Clint Eastwood Rowdy Red is a delicious variety. The cherry tomatoes are very productive, with so many green tomatoes. There was a fair number of ripe red cherry tomatoes.The Beefmaster tomato plants had two tomatoes that are almost ripe.

We have more wild blackberries getting ripe.

The Japanese beetles are happily munching on various plants and mating. I am dropping them into a cup of soapy water when I spot them. In the morning and evening, the Japanese beetles drop straight down if they feel threatened instead of flying away. Taking advantage of this behavior, I place the cup with soapy water under the beetle and tap on the leaf; the beetle goes into the cup, never to escape (unlike the Count of Monte Cristo). If the beetle does not drop after I tap the leaf, I can scrape the top of the cup over the leaf, causing the pest to fall into the soapy water. If worst comes to worst, I’ll grab the beetle and drop it into the soapy water. I don’t like feeling all the legs scrabbling at my hand.

Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle Things

The double daylilies are still blooming.

Unknown Variety

As we walked onto the front porch, two toads greeted us at the front door. Two more toads were in the garden. The flower garden has become a jungle of weeds. My effort has gone into the vegetable garden, as I consider it more important. I can only be outside in the morning; the summer weather god has cranked up the temperature for midday and the afternoon. (The take on the small gods concept was borrowed from the great writer, Douglas Adams. It is pure silliness.)

The sunset was lovely.

15 thoughts on “Japanese Beetles Doing Japanese Beetle Things”

  2. Beautiful sunset! I didn’t realize there were varieties of blueberries that produce at different times. My nephew has blueberries, and they get a ton. I’ll have to ask him what kind he has planted. He also has bees. The work with the beetles seems tedious, but perhaps there aren’t that many plants. And I guess there is no other good solution. What you and Bruce have done with the garden in a short time is impressive. Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

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Published by Julia

I am a retired software solutions architect. I have been married to my husband, Bruce, for over forty years. We went full-time RVing for 3.5 years and saw much of the United States. We bought a ranch house on a hill in the middle of five acres. We are working on creating our homestead. I love cooking and enjoy sharing recipes. I am also an artist and I’ll share my current projects. Reading is my favorite hobby.