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Beetle infestation in my Taco?

Discussion in '1st Gen. Tacomas (1995-2004)' started by Fenwick1993, May 7, 2013.

  1. May 7, 2013 at 1:53 PM
    #1
    Fenwick1993

    Fenwick1993 [OP] Hillbilly

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    Chesapeake, VA
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    Stonewall is the fattest 5 lug slug ever
    Ever since I bought my little '96 Taco, (this past August) I have been finding dead Japanese beetles (Some call em green june bugs) all throughout the truck. Floorboard, seats, dash, glove box, door-pocket thing, engine bay- everywhere. I've found like 40 of them, and they often show up in places where I know they weren't before- but by the time I find them, they are dead. I have yet to see one that is alive, but I can tell you that they haven't all just been there since I bought the truck, since I keep finding them in places that they definitely were not in before. I think somehow, a colony of them are living somewhere in my truck, but I've never heard of this happening- I thought these damn bugs were born as grubs in the dirt or something? Also, I rarely see them in this area, so I find it strange to find so many of the little bastards in my truck, nowhere else.
    The taco was parked for a few years, not running, in the corner of some dude's yard in Norfolk before I got it. Tall grass, a tree overhead, dingy place. When I got the Taco, it sat in the dusty back corner of my best friend's yard behind the garage, with three other trucks and a car for several months. None of the other vehicles it was around have these beetles. For the past two months, the truck has been kept inside the garage, except when being driven around the neighborhood to do some troubleshooting and diagnosis, and except for when it sat in the driveway for a day so that the Glass Masters guy could get to my windshield.
    Is it possible that these things are actually living in my truck, and have been since I bought it? How can I get rid of them? I've never heard of an infestation of Japanese beetles until this happened, so I have no idea what to do. I thought they ate leaves and stuff, so what's so great about my truck to them?

    [​IMG]
    Not a good pic, but here's one I found.
    Here, I'll post a clearer picture of one off the internet so you lot can see what they look like better.
    [​IMG]
    Help, anyone?
     
  2. May 7, 2013 at 5:05 PM
    #2
    Madjik_Man

    Madjik_Man The Rembrandt of Rattle Can

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    Call a pest control guy? Fumigate your truck?

    That's kinda strange.
     
  3. May 7, 2013 at 5:43 PM
    #3
    StAndrew

    StAndrew Wait for it...

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    Intake, exhaust, lift. Typical stuff.
    Take the on a trip to the local fishing hole.
     
  4. May 7, 2013 at 6:30 PM
    #4
    Fenwick1993

    Fenwick1993 [OP] Hillbilly

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    Chesapeake, VA
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    96 Tacoma 5Lug, 2015 PreRunner
    Stonewall is the fattest 5 lug slug ever
    If I bug bomb the truck, do you think it might harm anything in the truck? I know it's safe for use in houses, but with the cab of a truck being so small, I wonder if the intensified effects might chemically damage anything. Paint, fabric, etc. I mean, my truck is in pretty shit condition, because the previous owner didn't take care of it at all, but I don't want to screw it up any more than it already is.
    I looked these bugs up- they do start out as grubs in the dirt, and they eat plants, just as I thought. So I don't see what's so enticing about my truck. :confused:
     
  5. May 7, 2013 at 6:34 PM
    #5
    rescuetaco526

    rescuetaco526 Well-Known Member

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    :notsure: Maybe find one of those June bug catchers and hang that from the rear view mirror over night? Used one of those outside since they were eating the hell out of the roses in front of the house, seemed to help. It was a bag with the pheromone that trapped them/killed them. Empty the bag and reused it. Best I can think of short of going to professionals. Last ditch is a bug bomb, just one should do the space but be sure that it sits over night/has plenty of time to air out afterwards.
     
  6. May 7, 2013 at 6:37 PM
    #6
    rescuetaco526

    rescuetaco526 Well-Known Member

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    I use bug bombs in a 22' sailboat of mine every spring and I over bomb for the cubic volume I have in there. It has cushions/wires, stuff I always touch. Third year in doing it and I still haven't had any problems long as I allow the bombs plenty of time to do their thing and I allow about 6-8 hours of every hatch, in your case doors/windows open. Over kill but that stuff turns bugs lungs to jelly, I want to make sure I'm breathing fresh air.
     
  7. May 7, 2013 at 6:42 PM
    #7
    ImpulseRed008

    ImpulseRed008 Gone But Not Forgotten

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    go to wal mart and get a japanese beetle trap. hang in your truck a few days and they should all be gone
     
  8. May 7, 2013 at 6:48 PM
    #8
    thebrick

    thebrick Well-Known Member

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    Why not leave the truck in the garage with all of your doors open and bug bomb the garage?
    And from what i understand, the beetle traps actually attract more beetles than you had in the beginning.
     
  9. May 7, 2013 at 6:53 PM
    #9
    ImpulseRed008

    ImpulseRed008 Gone But Not Forgotten

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    won't if it's inside a closed truck
     
  10. May 7, 2013 at 6:58 PM
    #10
    Madjik_Man

    Madjik_Man The Rembrandt of Rattle Can

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    The Spring Tiphia wasp and starlings are natural predators of Japanese beetles.

    Maybe throw a few birds and hives in your truck for a few days? :notsure:
     
  11. May 7, 2013 at 6:58 PM
    #11
    Fenwick1993

    Fenwick1993 [OP] Hillbilly

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    Stonewall is the fattest 5 lug slug ever
    That's what I was just reading. It actually attracts them because they smell pheromones in the bait- which makes them think it's a prime place to screw. So maybe not a trap.
    http://household-tips.thefuntimesguide.com/2005/07/bagabugbeetles.php
    It's a GIANT garage. I'd need like ten or fifteen bombs or something like that. The garage my truck sits in is 52'x30', two floors and an attic, and there is no barrier between floors, so there would be no isolating it to one part of the garage.
    I guess my best bet would be to just bomb the truck with all windows and doors closed, then let it air out for a good long time before I mess with it again?
     

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