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08/16/2003 Archived Entry: "ELM LEAF BEETLES"

ELM LEAF BEETLES

I dread winter. We are going to have elm leaf beetles everywhere, as we had when we first built this house. During that time, they infested the heavy shake shingles that were stored on the ground until they were installed. We swept up elm beetles off windows and screens with a vengence for two years. Sweeper bags full of them.

It has been reported that the Elm leaf beetle population is out of control this year. Yikes! I know what that means. The trees may look dead, but the damage is mostly to the leaves. They nest around the base of trees, as I recall, and you can put insecticide around for that...but mainly they are just a terrible nuisance.

They want to be inside for the winter. Our decks and window sills outside are covered with them. We could shovel them off, but we're waiting for a grandson to come put a blower to them. They don't really "do" anything and are harmless, but they are a mess and smell terrible.

The only way to rid yourself of them is to get rid of the elm trees.