Can anyone help identify this greedy bug?

[John_Henry]

We've been getting loads of these greedy little bugs eating up everything they can.  I have no idea what they are or how to get rid of them.  The only natural pesticides I know comprise of chilli's, garlic and tobacco.  I did recently have wood ash and vinegar suggested to me, but I haven't tried that yet.

Any ideas??

[Jim]

Looks like a May/June Beetle or some sort of chafer.  Did you find white grubs in the soil when you dug?  How big is it, and what damage are you seeing.  May/June Beetles tend to eat a lot of roots as larva (lots of damage).  Adults will eat leaves on the edges, but usually not much of a problem, unlike the Japanese beetle, which is very damaging as larva and adult.

[John_Henry]

The Mrs has been searching in Japanese and were pretty sure it's maladera orientalis.  We did find some white grubs, but not an excessive amount.  The damage on the established plants isn't too much of a worry.  But some of the small seedlings are getting really hammered by them.  We've been picking them off by hand, but I'm starting to think I might need to prepare for battle. 

[Jim]

Well I was in the ballpark with white grubs/scarabs which isn't saying much since that is a big category   We actually don't get many Maladeras in the US, and just looked up references in my books, and only one Maladera seems to be here located on the Eastern side, but with the same habits as all white grub species that love turf grasses as host areas if they can find them, but can really decimate roots/seedlings of so many flowers, veg and weeds.

In one my organic solutions book for white grubs in general, cultural solutions are crop rotation and poly-cropping (which of course you are/will do anyhow on your plot so that is moot) and the only other solution is biological control - beneficial nematodes.  My other book noted that if you have 10 or more grubs per sq. foot that is considered a serious infestation (as I would imagine any grub on that scale).  This book recommends milky spore consistently for 2 seasons due to the beetle's life cycles.  Apply the milky spore in late spring or fall when temperatures are at least 70F/21C and you know the grubs are present.  This book also recommends beneficial nematodes.

[John_Henry]

Well I was in the ballpark with white grubs/scarabs which isn't saying much since that is a big category   We actually don't get many Maladeras in the US, and just looked up references in my books, and only one Maladera seems to be here located on the Eastern side, but with the same habits as all white grub species that love turf grasses as host areas if they can find them, but can really decimate roots/seedlings of so many flowers, veg and weeds.

In one my organic solutions book for white grubs in general, cultural solutions are crop rotation and poly-cropping (which of course you are/will do anyhow on your plot so that is moot) and the only other solution is biological control - beneficial nematodes.  My other book noted that if you have 10 or more grubs per sq. foot that is considered a serious infestation (as I would imagine any grub on that scale).  This book recommends milky spore consistently for 2 seasons due to the beetle's life cycles.  Apply the milky spore in late spring or fall when temperatures are at least 70F/21C and you know the grubs are present.  This book also recommends beneficial nematodes.

Thanks so much for taking the time to look that up for us Jim.  Now to see if I can find Milky spore in Japan.

[ShenandoahJoe]

I'm glad you found a good answer, because I was going to be no help and say it's a Japanese beetle.