Japanese beetles doing bad things on my daisies.

Japanese beetles are so aggravating.  We used to have two large hazelnut bushes in front of our deck. Every year I’d get so excited about the prospect of hazelnuts, and every year the deer would eat all the hazelnuts, and then the beetles would skeletonize all the leaves. We tried putting out the beetle traps, which I’ve now read not to do because they attract more beetles that would appear without any traps.  True indeed.

Nothing like sitting on the deck, trying to enjoy the view while beetles fly into your head every 15 seconds.  We didn’t even plant those hazelnut bushes, they were here when we moved in, flanking a creepy little rectangular garden with a creepy little statue that we referred to as “the grave garden”.  The bushes quickly grew so large they were blocking the satellite dish–our only TV option at the time. I hate to say it, but we leveled the bushes.  We cut them down and dug them out. And by “we” of course, I mean my husband, although I did carry my fair share of branches to the fire-pit. For awhile, that seemed to be the end of the beetles.

Beans under siege, planted with other beans only.

Now, they’re back.  Here they are feasting on our bean plants.  See them eating all the leaf between the veins?  Maddening.  They also kind of like our potato plants, but the beans are getting the worst of it. And here’s the thing–can you see our tomato plants at the top of this photo?  Our garden is laid out in six 4′ x 4′ raised beds, and 18 potato grow bags.  I planted only beans in this garden bed, four varieties, 9 per square foot.  But right next to this bed, there is a bed with six different kinds of heirloom tomatoes, and also the beans. (Because companion planting says tomatoes & beans are friends.)  So the very same beans that are getting eaten two feet away, are untouched when planted with the tomatoes. Biodiversity wins again.  I’m learning…

Happy beans, planted with tomato companions.

Then I had an “aha” moment and did a little research.  I discovered that not only can chickens eat Japanese beetles, they LOVE them!  So once or twice a day, I wander through the gardens with my little plastic jar (that’s really the top of a chick feeder) and shake or pull beetles off the leaves, dropping them into the jar.  Then I take my gross, writhing pile of beetle mania away from the garden and call out, “Chickens? Chickens! BEETLES!”  And the ladies come running, like this:

We were told there would be beetles.

It took only one session of beetle-eating for them to make that connection.  Not a great leap I guess, much as I’d like to imagine it’s love, when I appear, they usually get food.  Anyway, I dump the beetle-ball on the ground and my hens just pound that pile of bugs in under 10 seconds.  Several birds have taken to following me out to the garden and waiting for me to lean over the fence so they can eat them right out of my hands.  I don’t know which of us loves that satisfying Japanese beetle-crunch more.