(I’ve already done some anti-grub applications…so if you are going to tell me to get them while they are grubs, please do not answer this. But as i’m writing this, i know some of you will. 
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My orchard gets attacked severely by Japanese beetles and I want to use some insecticide on them when I see them. The article below from the University of Michigan talks about Sevin…how bad is it ?
It also mentions pyrethroids, and products like “Evergreen”, “Pyganic”.
Just wondering if any of you have any thoughts on what I can use to spray directly on the beetles when I see them.
I’ll be covering the trees and bushes I can with some tight netting and using Surround on the ones I can’t. But my infestation is so severe that I want to be able to kill them when I see them with a spray. The last two years they ate approx half of the leaves on my trees…the trees respond by dropping fruit and shutting down growth for the year. In a 60’x60’ orchard I catch well over a gallon of them…I shake them off into soapy water five or six times per day. (that’s a gallon of bugs with out the water…that’s alot of bugs.)
ARTICLE:
I’m limited in what I can use against grubs because I graze cattle in the same area. Commercial grub killers show up in the fat of bovine…
If you just want to kill em when you see them, insecticidal soap or soapy water kills them immediately. (Insead of knocking them into soapy water, just spray them with it)
But this doesnt do anything to keep more from visiting the plant.
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Why not use milky spore of beneficial nematodes?
Milky spores are a long term solution. Effective but it takes at least 2-3 years before seeing results.
The old Sevin, with carbaryl as the main ingredient, was what many people used to kill J beetles. A few years ago, Sevin changed its ingredient from carbaryl to zeta-cypermetrin. You may need to google and find out who still sells old Sevin with carbaryl.
These are grub treatments. Alrdy done them. With a bad infestation, its not enough… Plus I have three acres to treat. Nematodes are cheaper, milky spore would be expensive for that amoiunt of area.
The referenced article is from 2011 so they’re likely referencing Sevin when the active ingredient was carbaryl (as mamuang already noted). You can still buy Carbaryl in some states, but keep in mind Carbaryl may thin your apples (cause drop).
I’m rotating Assail and Avaunt this year (can no longer buy Imidan in NY).
Cornell recommends the following for Japanese Beetle: Sevin XLR Plus; Imidan 70W; Mustang MAXX; Assail 30SG; Gladiator EC; Besiege; and Endigo ZC. You may have other products available that aren’t available here in NY.
You may find the Cornell Pest Management Guidelines for Commercial Tree Fruit Production helpful, it’s available as an on-line guide, printed, or both.
I have certain apple varieties at the orchard that seem to be preferred by the Japanese Beetles, it will be interesting to see how well I’m able to manage them this year.
Good luck Mark!
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I moved to my new property for 3 years now but this year was the heaviest Japanese beetles attacking my plum, cherry, persimmon, pawpaw, Jujube, apple, and Nectarine trees. I had to mix up a spray of Ortho Diazinon insect spray that I bought many years ago for an emergency usage. I don’t think they are selling it anymore because of collateral killing of other good insects. My Amazon liquid Seven is on the way for a more friendly spray. Btw, I found out that my neighbor hung 5 Japanese beetle traps which brought the whole neighborhood Japanese beetles to Our yard. Sigh 
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Tony
Tree cages with 1/4" welded wire mesh screens.
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If you want immediate knock down with short term residual effect, Pyganic is a good choice. It is organically accepted but keep in mind it is a serious pesticide. I’ve used it for about 15 years to control Japanese beetles on my pole beans. The only negative is that residual effect is about 24 hours which means you may have to spray every 3 days for a couple of weeks to get good control.
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What are members experience ( product, application, application time of year) with milky spore? My apple and plum trees are getting hammered
You will need to take a double pronged approach if there is an ongoing infestation. Use something to knock them down and out immediately along with milky spore to reduce the population long term.
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Depending on how close you are to corn and soybean fields, trying to control Japanese Beetles in a home orchard with milky spore may be a lost cause. The beetles are excellent flyers and easily move from fields to orchards, gardens and yards. They feed on emerging corn silks and soybean leaves. Only one year in my 42 years of farming that I had enough beetles to spray fields of soybeans in July so not a major pest for me except for yearly attacks on my peaches that I have to protect with Sevin (Carbaryl).
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What insecticide do you recommend?
There isn’t any agriculture for several miles. The fruit trees are in an isolated food plot surrounded by forest
Sevin (carbaryl) is the usual recommendation but usually only works for 4 or 5 days before re-spraying is needed. I use pyganic in my garden. It only works for 1 day but has the advantage of very rapid breakdown in sunlight and/or soil.
There are others some of which are mentioned in this thread.
Milky spore is effective but only if the beetle population is not flying in from neighboring property. It is a long term control method meaning it won’t help with an ongoing infestation.
The Japanese beetles in my location are horrendous and can strip a tree in a few days. I do a single imidacloprid soil drench on all my trees in mid-June and its effective through the season. The beetles still come, but they only eat a bit before they die.
I think I have tons of grubs in the lawn, because I have moles everywhere. I bought a 30 lb bag of Merit granular, and I hope speading it fixes the mole problem.