Japanese Beetles Attacking My Crepemyrtle

Q: Every year Japanese beetles attack my crepe myrtle, but other crepe myrtles in the neighborhood don’t seem to be affected. Why? 

A: Mechanical factors of the crapemyrtle leaves could be part of the answer. By that, I mean that thick or hard-to-chew leaves would be less palatable to a Japanese beetle than thin, lush leaves. If you prune your crapemyrtles in winter the summer leaves will be thinner than on an unpruned plant. Different varieties might have slightly different leaf thicknesses too.