Are Japanese Beetle Traps Effective?

Generally speaking, no. The conventional Japanese beetle bag trap is not your best choice for controlling the insects. Let me explain why.

Yes, the traps are great at luring Japanese beetles and capturing them in their cavernous receptacle, but having these traps in your garden actually does more harm than good.

That’s because the floral scent used in the bait is so powerful that it can draw literally thousands of beetles from the surrounding area, having the exact opposite of the desired effect of getting rid of the beetles.

The only way I would recommend using one of these Japanese beetle traps is if you were able to place them a good distance away from your home so as to send them in that direction, and away from your home.

For example, if you live in a rural area and are able to place the trap in locations surrounding your property, you could actually draw the beetles away from your area in that way.

But for most people living in residential areas, that is not going to be an option. In most cases you’re going to be better off not using anything at all rather than using the Japanese beetle bag trap.

To truly get rid of Japanese beetles you should target both the juvenile and the adult beetles with two different kinds of insecticide. That way you are quickly killing the adults and also preventing next year’s Japanese beetles from ever arriving.