The principle of the milky Spore as I understand it, is that the bacteria functions as a communicable disease and spreads throughout the population in the soil, killing all of the beatles. It may not take as much as the bag says. I’m not an expert though.
I have used them. It’s the only affordable thing that works. Your fruit trees are going to attract them. They have their favs and they will come for them. They move in waves around the country. They came through here two years ago. Now I just have the small lingering population.
They love my persimmon, rhubarb, and willow tree. I know where to hunt 
I have a buffet for them to choose from. They usually hit the cherries and plums the hardest here.
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I’ve heard that many times but for me It’s a myth. I’ve used the traps successfully. Perhaps it depends on where they are and how many in the local environment.
I caught thousands and thousands of J. beetles using the pheromone traps and bags. Year after year after year…I caught them and took great joy throwing the tied up bags into roaring fires. I could never “get ahead” of them…until I stopped using the bags and lures. Miraculously when I stopped using them the infestation eased up…year after year after year.
Coincidence? Maybe. I rather doubt it. But hey, if you feel like they’re working maybe they are. They did not for me.
edited to add…during those years of using the bags/lures I also was spraying Sevin on the hardest hit plants/trees. Paper birch, sycamore, apples, and roses were especially hard hit. I imagine I killed many more thousands (and beneficials) with those shots of Sevin. Stopped using the bag/traps…stopped having to spray Sevin on a 2-3 times a week basis.
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I’ve never had to deal with thousands. Maybe that’s why the traps worked well for me. The populations have been low enough (a few hundred) that the 3 traps I use and local predators catch most of them. Also my soil bacteria and my neighbors heavy use of grub killer has kept population under control.
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I see Avaunt is labeled for Japanese Beetles on grapes with a 7 day PHI so it looks like it will kill them
Don’t see JB label on Apples
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