Garden Tip: Asparagus Beetle Trap

December 9, 2022

By Blair Rollin, Scotland, Connecticut

I wanted to let people know about an asparagus beetle trap I came up with. 2022 is the second year I’ve used these, and they have pretty much ended my asparagus beetle problems. I used to spend countless hours catching and killing asparagus beetles by hand. (I got quite good at it as I am smarter than an asparagus beetle.) Still, I had a lot of beetles and larva. This year, probably not 10 minutes spent killing beetles by hand. As you can see from the photo, these super simple and cheap traps are highly effective.

Asparagus beetle decoy
An asparagus beetle trap made from a wooden dowel shaped and painted green to resemble an asparagus spear. It is coated with Tanglefoot and placed in the garden as a decoy. Blair Rollin photo

Cut 1-foot pieces of ½- to ¾-inch dowel. Sand, carve or otherwise shape one end to resemble an asparagus spear. Paint green. (I used Tractor Supply’s oil-based tractor and implement enamel, John Deere green.) Coat the business end with Tanglefoot and stick the other end in the ground. I put one trap every 5 feet of bed. Put out in early spring at first sighting of beetles.

This tip was originally published in the winter 2022-23 issue of The Maine Organic Farmer & Gardener.

Looking for more gardening resources? Consider signing up for our Gardener Newsletter, which is sent once per month.

Categories
Scroll to Top