We Winsome & we lose some

We Winsome & we lose some

This is some of the best news for roses and their gardeners in some time. Nothing good can be said about Japanese Beetles. Nothing. We all dread their arrival and can’t wait for their yearly demise. Our only practical action is defensive; spending time daily going from plant to plant and knocking the JBs into buckets of soapy water to drown them.

Here in Minneapolis at the Rose garden, the Japanese Beetles began showing up in early July, not many at first but their numbers are increasing. So, it was with a stunned surprise when we found out about a naturally occurring predator that lays its eggs on the heads of the female beetles! This causes eventual paralysis so that the JB falls to the ground and provides food for the new fly. Nature is truly frightening, ruthless and efficient. In the picture above we see two JBs doing what they do besides eat… The female is on the bottom and has a white spot on its head. This is a Winsome fly larva. Here is a link to a good blog post that goes into great detail about this unexpected ally – the Winsome fly.

Here is a link to the facebook page for Lyndale Park Gardens and you can read the happy response.