Baby Powder and Japanese Beetles: Does it Work?
Gardeners have tried all sorts of things to get rid of Japanese beetles; from avoiding planting the plants they like to eat (which is really difficult) to using bait sacks to trap the insects. Some people say that baby powder and Japanese beetles don’t mix. The theory is that the powder, when sprinkled on the leaves of attractive plants, makes them less desirable. It probably affects the taste as well as the smell of the leaves. If you want to try it, buy the cheapest baby powder you can find and sprinkle it liberally on the plants that are being damaged. You’ll probably want to limit this to your vegetable and flower gardens and let your trees go, since it’s not really possible (and would be quite expensive) to keep all the leaves on your maple tree covered with baby powder throughout the season. Trees won’t be killed by Japanese beetles, they’ll just have unattractive leaves for the season. Remember to reapply the powder after rain, and use a drip irrigation system so that your sprin
