Japanese beetles were destroying my vines and roses. I tried everything—plucking them off by hand into soapy water (they just came back in bigger numbers the next day!), using Sevin spray (no results), and even giving Dawn Powerwash a shot. Nothing worked.

Then I had an idea 💡…

One of my favorite garden tools is the Bernzomatic Trigger Start Torch—I use it to blast weeds in the rocks, especially those pesky chives that seem to come back no matter what. It works like magic and they don’t return.

So I figured—why not try it on the beetles?

I carefully torched the beetles on my vines (which are still lush and green), and it worked! With just a quick zap, the beetles were gone. It didn’t harm the vines at all, since the heat exposure was super brief. Even better—I avoided using harmful chemicals that could hurt the bees in my garden 🐝.

It worked okay on the roses too, but the thinner petals created more smoke. Still, it got the job done!