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Diseased Weeping Snow Fountain Cherry #878814

Asked July 25, 2024, 9:07 PM EDT

Our garden club planted a weeping Snow Fountain Cherry about 2 weeks ago, and we noticed many tiny holes in the upper leaves yesterday. Today, there were more and several Japanese Beetles feastlng on our tree. Can you please advise whether this is likely the only thing bothering our tree, and make a recommendation on how to proceed to protect our tree? At this time we plan to place small containers of soapy water near the base, pick the beetles off and drop them into the containers. Is it true the beetles can smell other dead beetles and it will act as a deterrent? Thank you for any assistance you can provide!

Ionia County Michigan

Expert Response

Yes, the leaves appear healthy other than Japanese Beetle damage. It is true that the smell of dead beetles does seem to repel the live beetles.

Here is a very recent article from Penn State:

Japanese Beetles in the Home Garden (psu.edu) 

Here are two MSU articles that list management strategies as well:

Japanese Beetles - MSU Extension

Japanese beetle: Tips for your lawn - MSU Extension

An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 28, 2024, 2:26 PM EDT

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