Japanese Beetles, not as catchy as the Beatles from Liverpool!

Okay, okay, that was a bad play on words, do pardon me! 

So you wake up one morning, go out to your garden and all of your plants have turned into skeletons. You just might have a Japanese Beetle infestation.
This is not uncommon in the summer months, around June these beetles emerge from the ground to nibble your plants to oblivion. What can you do?
There are a few options...

• Plants like catnip, chives, garlic, and tansy are natural deterrents, not the most effective.
• When they're in their grub stage, spraying your yard and garden where you find them the most with a water/soap combination will draw the grubs to the surface and your birds will thank you.
• The most effective way though, is to go out early in the morning with a blanket or tarp, set it under the plant/bush/tree where the beetles are most active and shake them off the plant. They can then be gathered and put in a bucket with soap and water where their demise will be imminent. Pick off the remaining few by hand over the next few days to a week and soon your plants will be beetle free.

Interesting facts....
Japanese beetles can fly as far as five miles, but are poor fliers and can be caught easily. 
When approached, they lift their spiny hind legs up in the air to scare off the intruder.