Sorry, never heard of Japanese beetles, not something we get in the UK. We have a member in the States called Tugbrethil, he might have an answer for you.

Sorry, Diane and Bamboo, but we don't have Japanese Beetles here in Arizona, yet (touch wood), so I haven't had to deal with them, myself. What's been recommended to me so far is imidacloprid, carbaryl, spinosad, and milky spore disease. The last two are organic, at least, but none of them could be called home remedies.

I have to use a chemical product a couple of times a year, but it also gets rid of aphids. My best advice is to try and not use strong yellows. The bait traps and sticky paper traps are yellow because they are attracted to that color. But then you invite everyone in the surrounding area to come to your place, and the problem is worse.

This beetle seems to be a real pain in parts of USA and eats a wide variety of common garden plants. Skeletonises the leaves. Hope it does'nt come here, as it seems difficult to eradicate, and very destructive. We have enough of our own naughty beetles. Seems like one of the effects of globalisation. I Googled it and there is a lot about it on Google.

THANKS