AusBonsai

Hey guys,

So a few of my plants seem to be getting eaten by a large bug. There are big "bites" off a few of my plants probably 2/3 the size of the leaves.

Any ideas? there is no visible bugs on or around the plants...

Grasshoppers? Those buggers are sneaky and have been attacking mine too. My raspberries have leaves that look like swiss cheese

Hi Rhuumz....I was about to say hoppers too, especially at this time of year...any around? What plants are getting hit?....Dog.

A trident and I have a China Doll as well

... or caterpillars ? any signs of curled or stuck together leaves?

Yeah, my bet is grasshopper or caterpillar. As small as they are, they can chew bloody big holes! I check my plants every afternoon and squash any I can find.... and catch

With no pics of the leaf damage it is a long shot, but possibly the dreaded vine weevil.
They are great at hiding/camouflage!
I think you need to check the plants at night with a torch to find out what species of bug you are dealing with.
Good luck, cheers Dario.

I will investigate more when I get home and take some pics...

could also be passion hopper nymphs, these things look like the lorax when they are juvenile then turn into a thing that looks like a lacewing moth. Bloody things are destroying my rasperries but don't seem to want to eat my blueberries. My current spray is garlic and chilli based. Made me gag when I sprayed it on, which is weird as they are my fave ingredients in pasta dishes.

sean.mitchell1 wrote:could also be passion hopper nymphs, these things look like the lorax when they are juvenile then turn into a thing that looks like a lacewing moth. Bloody things are destroying my rasperries but don't seem to want to eat my blueberries. My current spray is garlic and chilli based. Made me gag when I sprayed it on, which is weird as they are my fave ingredients in pasta dishes.

2013-01-01 15.55.30.jpg

Yeah, my blueberries are one of the few things that remain untouched by anything (touches wood). I actually thought the raspberries would be fine too, as the leaves are so spikey

Leaf cutter bees take out neat half round pieces of leaf but they work during the day. Looks just like large bites out of the leaf. Usually do not take enough to cause health problems for the plant.

2/3 of the leaf? Likes the trident? No sign of bugs? My money is on possums.

I cant get this photo to work at my workplace because they block photobucket.........

HA thwarted your best efforts work!!!!!

This damage is typical of the Leaf Cutter Bee https://www.google.com.au/search?q=leaf ... =firefox-a Carbaryl will deter them. Possums would tear leaves and not have such a clean circular cut.

Hackimoto wrote:This damage is typical of the Leaf Cutter Bee https://www.google.com.au/search?q=leaf ... =firefox-a Carbaryl will deter them. Possums would tear leaves and not have such a clean circular cut.

Yeah I agree after seeing the photo. Possums tend to strip leaves pretty ruthlessly.