Killing Japs

No, this is not a post about WWII...although my Gpa Paul did bomb Japan 31 times during his service as a bombardier on a B-29 during WWII...but I digress...

And forgive me for two posts on the same day, but I was pretty sure Harper didn't want to be included in the carnage that is about to be displayed....

I am referring to Japanese beetles....this summer I am trying my hand at gardening...I tried in Texas with little luck and so I'm giving it another go 'round in this great state that I now call home (cough!). 

I planted a flower pot on my deck with basil, cilantro, and Italian parsley (my three fave herbs to cook with)......and they have been beautiful! I've even had to cut back on the use of my basil cause I was going through it too quickly...(I will clearly have to plant more next summer.) So I arrive home last week to find close to a zillion japanese beetles swarming my basil plant and leaving it like this!!!

I quickly gasped and ran outside to beat the living daylights out of my precious plant! Now, I've seen these beetles for the last couple of weeks....as they are the main 'victims' I find that have perished in the redneck pool. I felt bad at first...now, not so much. But all of a sudden they have found my basil plant and taken it upon themselves to feast....and to have bug sex!!

All day today I've kept one eye on whatever I'm trying to accomplish at home and one eye on my basil plant....my deck is a war zone of bug corpses...

They are actually pretty easy to pull off the plant and drop on the deck to squish...probably cause they are so preoccupied with their bug sex and all. 

I did google 'japanese beetles eating basil' to find out what to do and pretty much the only solution was this 'bug bag' one purchases from Wal-mart to lure them away and trap them...but of course, they were sold out by the time I arrived to the gardening department. 

So...I've been on beetle patrol today...it's kind of like the Green Mile....'dead beetle flying!'....my neighbors probably think I've come down with epilepsy watching me flail my arms and stomp all over my deck trying to kill these things! 

But who wants to eat holey basil covered with the remnants of bug sex?!?

Not this girl!! 

Here's a closer view for those of you who like violent movies.