Japanese Beetles

You can control the adult beetles with one of several insecticides labeled for that purpose. Just follow the label directions. It sounds like you may be someone who might want to go a more natural or organic route. If so, I would suggest insecticidal soap. It is a soap that will kill insects- literally. It kills by stopping up the breathing apparatus of the insects and they bacically suffocate. To eliminate the beetles is a harder problem. You will need to kill the larvae. Milky spore is supposed to be one of the best ways to do this, and it is safe to other critters. I have not used it myself, but I intend to at some point. It is rather expensive and I will have to budget for it. Be sure to use it at the recommended dosage. This will also help eliminate any mole problem you may have-- because they eat the grubs. You can put down old newspapers- at least 8 pages thick- and cover it with mulch to hold it in place for the weed problem.