Bag A Bug Japanese Beetle Trap

Here in the Southeastern United States we have a very large Japanese Beetle population. Crape Myrtle’s are a very popular decorative tree in this part of the country. I own several of them. It seems that these trees attract Japanese Beetles in the thousands. It is ridiculous when you can go up to a Crape Myrtle tree and shake it, and literally watch a swarm of beetles jarred loose. A swarm of Japanese Beetles can make short work of the foliage on these trees, which are very expensive to replace. A decent sized Crape Myrtle at Home Depot will run you over a hundred dollars each. It is much less expensive to do some preventive maintenance. That’s where the Spectracide Bag-a-Bug system comes into play. There is no need for dusting the trees (like you would with Rose aphids). One Bag-a-Bug system is supposed to cover a 5,000 square foot area.

The Spectracide Bag-a-Bug system is inexpensive. For less than ten dollars you can purchase a kit from Wal-Mart with a couple of spare bags. One bag is alleged to last all Summer, but if you have a large Beetle population, it will fill up quickly. Also, the smell that these bags emits is overpowering once the dead Beetles begin accumulating in the bottom of the bag. If these bags are placed anywhere near where you are going to smell them, they will need to be emptied more than once a Summer. Amazon.com lists these bags at $7.99 for one kit. It is probably just as cheap to purchase this product at Wal-Mart, which will not require any shipping. Depending on your Beetle population you may need more bags, which may drive the cost of protection from Beetles up towards twenty dollars. That is still a reasonable cost given the replacement cost for a single Crape Myrtle. That price is also very reasonable compared to the cost of chemical treatments for various infestations.

Setting up the Spectracide Bag-a-Bug system is very simple. There are two flat yellow plastic pieces with connect cross-wise to create an entrance into the bag. There is a lure that is then attached to the cross-shaped vane. The bag is simply hung from the four corners of the plastic vane, which is then suspended from a tree or stake. I purchased a garden hanger for a couple of dollars so that I could place this bag away from my trees at a slight distance. The assembly instructions are easy to follow...although installation is extremely simple. Once the bag is hung in place you leave it alone until the bag needs to be changed. At that time, remove the old bag from the plastic opening and install a fresh bag (you may want to plug your nose at that time). A good time to change the bags is right before trash day, so you can throw the used bag (full of decaying Japanese Beetles) into your trash bin. They will stink really bad. The less time you need to have them around the better.

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