Q: We’re preparing for this year’s onslaught of Japanese beetles and hoping for the best. The local garden centers tell us that the pesticides that kill Japanese beetles are “safe” on vegetables. We want to preserve the good insects as best we can. Do you have a suggestion? Bt? Neem?

A: I’ve been seeing the year’s first Japanese beetles on my roses (of course) and rhubarb.

Bt (made from the caterpillar-killing bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis) won’t do anything for adult Japanese beetles. But neem oil is a natural and so-called “soft” repellent spray that’s labeled for use on vegetables. I’ve found it to be somewhat effective but not 100 percent.

Something else to try is VeggiePharm, a spray that’s a blend of soap, peppermint oil and soybean oil. I haven’t tried it myself, but it’s got about as good a review as anything non-chemical against Japanese beetles. Read more about it at

. It’s available directly there, and I’ve seen it locally at a few garden centers.

Some people mix their own concoctions of soap, garlic, hot peppers, oil and even blended-up dead beetles, but I can’t vouch for any of those. You’ll find lots of formulas online. If you go that route, try small amounts first so you don’t harm your plants.

Other options: Drape floating row covers to protect your non-fruiting crops; hand-pick and squish as many beetles as you can grab; spray clusters of them with insecticidal soap (no residual help, though, if you can’t hit them directly), and buy beetle traps for all of your neighbors to draw beetles away from your yard.