Early fall is a perfect time to start a campaign against the destructive copper garden beetle, also called the Japanese beetle.
This pretty copper-colored, hard shell beetle eats on anything pretty (or it seems so), especially roses and other flowers.
One method is to apply milky spore in the early fall when the soil is warm and grubs are munching grass roots. The soil must be 65 degrees or warmer. This spore kills the grubs by giving them milky disease, a condition that won't harm pets, birds, or any other animal. It might kill other types of grub, though.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
