Where are you?

You guys have Japanese Beetles now? The green 1/2"or so beetles. I use merit to control them, but they still do some chewing.

Hi Fred,
I never see Japanese beetles in the day time but I see the damage.
I have seen them at night, by the hundreds, eating Crape Myrtle blooms.
Ken

Fred,

If you could add your location to your profile that might save you and others from have to ask/answer.

I've got an American Hornbeam that has been severely attacked by Japanese beetles this year.  I've used granular (thanks John) and spray systemics to control them.  But, I often and still see them on the leaves chewing away.  The consolation here is that there's also a ton of them lying dead on top of the soil, so the chemicals seem to be doing the trick.

Since the beetles have been pretty bad the last several years I've been placing "beetle bags" in different areas in the woods behind my house.  That might be helping some, but there's still a swarm of them on my hornbeams, Japanese maples, Satsuki azaleas, etc.

It might be beneficial for you to find out for sure what is affecting your trees and find a measure for them.  Or, just rotate sprays for a few weeks using different chemicals that are safe for your trees.

Keep us updated on your fight! 

Thanks to both of you for your reply.  I'm out of town till thursday so I'll check when I get home.  As far as putting it on the ground, I have a 5 month old puppy....

Just my little 2 cents worth. Also look for tiny(half inch or less usually) inchworms. But be on the look out for big ones. I have found these worms on my hornbeams(american and korean), beech(american and japanese) and other deciduous trees. The smallest I have found were about 10mm long and biggest about 3 inches. They will mimic a dead twig clinging to a branch with their hindfeet and sticking out stiff.