Oh Opalescent Agent of Death…Upon first glance, you look like some rare jewel colored treasure flung to Nebraska from some far off locale by a freak high attitude jet stream event and, after a long tiring journey, have come to rest on a soft rose petal. Then I notice another one of your kind. Lo, how could it be…TWO of these exotic insects in the middle of the united states, how did such a lovely delicate being such as yourself make all the way here. Wait, there is another one…THREE…it can’t be. Then wait….4, 5,6,7,8,9, 10,000! Holy crap they are everywhere! And they are eating my roses and every other plant they can get their grubby little Kaleidoscopic pincers on. Help! I need Help! They are everywhere!
If you have had rose bushes for any length of time and paid some attention to them, you have probably encountered these little guys (if not, consider yourself lucky). Individually, you kind of have to appreciate their bejeweled appearance. However, once you become aware of the extensive damage they can do, you forget all about it and want to know the quickest way you can eradicate them in the greatest numbers. First it helps to know a little bit about the lifecycle of these polychromatic killers.
The adult beetles feed on plants in late spring and summer. During this feeding time, the female burrows itself into the soil and lays eggs. These eggs hatch in late summer and become the larva that remain under ground in complete shame of their appearance compared to the gleaming iridescent magnificence of the adults…oh, and they also feed on roots which are underground, so that helps. The grubs burrow further into the ground as winter approaches because they, like many humans, have seasonal affective disorder and prefer to remain hidden until spring. They do cheer up a bit around late December when a magic elf they call chubby grubby comes down their wormhole and delivers them gifts of root. They, also like many humans, have given up their new year’s resolution by March and are eating whatever kind of root they please, thank you very much. They can get away with that because, in late spring they take a trip to Mother Nature’s plastic surgeon and become pupae. Then they emerge from the ground as the true opalescent agent of death they are. So, they are kind of like the ugly duckling, only he was much nicer to plants.
Very funny…now how do I combat these horrific beasts. Well, like a good suspense novel that these beautiful but deadly bug seem straight out of, you’ll have to wait until the next chapter to find that out.
