Milky Spore
Defend your Garden from the Japanese Beetle Milky Spore is an organic insecticide for natural pest control. The Japanese beetle and its larvae can be a widespread threat to the health of your garden. At all stages of life this Asiatic beetle can attack, feeding off of your plants and damaging the roots and leaves. Eliminate the Japanese beetle with this safe and effective organic insecticide.
Milky Spore can be safely applied without hurting plants or other organisms in your garden. It is naturally selective, harming only Japanese beetle larvae.
Milky Spore is one of the best beetle controlling agents available on the market today.
Milky Spore is
- Very economical
- Safe and easy to use
- An all natural, 100% organic pesticide
- Contains no harsh chemicals
- Works in gardens, yards, lawns, and soil beds
- Large sizes available for industrial applications
- One treatment can continue working for 5, 10, even 20 years
Milky Spore works by attacking the larvae stage of the Japanese beetle known as grubs. Once treated, the plant roots absorb the spores which these grubs then eat, ingesting a natural occurring bacterium known as Bacillus popilliae. The bacteria are lethal only to Japanese beetle grubs, and cause the grub to die. Its color changes to a milky white during the process, thus the name
Milky Spore. These grubs then decay and release billions of bacteria spores back into the soil, restarting the entire process.
Because it uses this larval stage to reproduce,
Milky Spore works best when there is a larvae population already present. Since Japanese beetles often “scout” into gardens and lay eggs, you can be unaware of the level of infestation until it has already occurred. If you notice arriving adults, it is important you treat your lawn or garden preventatively with
Milky Spore, destroying their lifecycle before it ever has a chance to start.
Application: For best results, sprinkle
Milky Spore insect dust directly onto the plants and root soil around the base of the plant stem. A 10 oz. container covers 2500 square feet and can work up to 20 years with only one application.
Milky Spore can be applied spring, summer and fall and doesn't harm earthworms, birds, bees, fish, other animals, or plants. Because larvae are needed to complete the bacterium cycle, don’t use any other Japanese beetle insecticides as they can kill the grubs before the spores have ample time to reproduce.
More information about Milky Spore
Milky Spore is a bacterial disease that infects the grubs of the Japanese beetle. After the Milky Spores are applied to the soil, the Japanese beetle grub ingests the spore through feeding. These spores germinate inside the fluids of the larvae, eventually killing it and producing more spores. Since moles and voles feed on the grubs, removing this food source will also remove other pests from your home. Milky Spore uses a naturally occurring bacterium that is 100% safe and organic, unlike traditional chemical grub treatments that kill not only the grubs but beneficial nematodes and garden friendly insects.
The History of Japanese Beetle in the United States
Japanese Beetles, as the name suggests, are not native to North America but originate from Japan. These pests were first discovered outside of a nursery near Riverton, New Jersey in 1916. Thought to have been introduced from a shipment of Iris bulbs. Lacking the natural predators found in their former homeland, these shiny, metallic-green bugs have flourished and spread, and can now be found in over half the continental United States. And while birds and animals do prey upon the non native species, Japanese beetles are becoming a spreading problem for gardeners and lawn care professionals across America.
There are two stages to the Japanese beetle life cycle, larvae and adult, each with its own threat to your home garden and lawn. The Japanese beetle larvae, called grubs, are typically white in color and are 1/16 inch in length. They feed on plant roots and other organic substances in the soil. Their feeding can create dead patches of lawn turf that can be picked up like a loose carpet. They also attract underground rodents which dig holes seeking to feed on the larvae, causing even more damage to lawns and gardens. When the larvae mature into adults, they crawl out of the ground and begin feeding on the leaves, stalks, and stems of the plants above ground.
The adult Japanese beetle eats over 300 different types of leaf plants and flowers. They feed by cutting away the plant material between veins, leaving only the framework of the leaf. This process is called “skeletonizing”, and if allowed to continue unchecked, disrupts photosynthesis for the plant causing it stress and weakening, even killing the plant in some instances. The adult beetle is normally a bright green and measures only 3/8 inch in length.
The Japanese beetle displays a curious defense mechanism. When approached, the beetle extends it spiny legs outwards in an attempt to make itself larger. Like many others pests of the insect world, Japanese beetles possess the ability to fly. However, landing gracefully is a different story, earning these bugs the moniker “kamikaze beetles”. In fact these flying insects are so clumsy, traditional Japanese beetle traps still employed today consists of short, intersecting walls with an open bag hanging underneath.
If you have beetle problems, Milky Spore can help you stop the infestation and take back your garden or lawn today.