Apple harvest vs Japanese beetles

[Socalman]

So we have been anticipating a great harvest on our apple crop from out one tree. We have taken a few here and there and eaten and enjoying them as the sugar level begins to rise. After a few days of not checking them we were out there last night and discovered we had been hit by a heavy infestation of Japanese beetle. We went to work and harvested almost the entire crop, throwing away about 3 dozen apples that had been ruined by the fricking green bug.

Last night my wife made two pans of apple crisp using the good parts of apples that had received damage from the beetles. Looks like we will be making some apple sauce, perhaps some jam and dehydrating some. Of course it is nice that apples keep for quite some time and we do not have to rush like I did on my peaches.

[Sniper-T]

Can you not spray to get rid of the beetles?

[bacpacker]

Yeah but it contaminates the apples. We have used Borax when we had them hit our corn, just dusted the silks. Not sure how to keep them off the apples.
Glad to hear you saved a nice harvest.

[Sniper-T]

we don't have those beetles yet (knock on wood) but we do get a nasty little critter caller a canker worm. they'll eat all the flowers and leaves off a tree in an afternoon. When I start seeing them I spray with a water/dishsoap solution. kills them in minutes, and doesn't affect the fruit!

would something like that work?