AusBonsai

I finally found a few bugs in some of my curled leaves. I guess it is an aphid but I am not sure can I get some help with ID?

I am sure I have seen this bug before it seems like an aphid but has the shape of a weevil I reckon?

It seems some aphids grow wings when there is over population. This has wings but seems a little hard shelled for the common aphid?
I plan on spraying with Confidor this afternoon and I am crossing my fingers this is what is causing the leaf curl.
I think the macro shots make it look quite big. It would be under 2mm I think. The snout might just make the 2mm.

Gday Brettles!

Looks like a weevil to me. Dunno what kinda damage they can do, but I'll ask Mrs Fly when she gets home.

Good luck!

Fly.

Its a longhorn beetle. Kill it, the larvae eat roots and the beetle eats new growth.

I am pretty sure it is a bad bug but it does not seem to be a longhorn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longhorn_beetle

Tim wrote:Its a longhorn beetle. Kill it, the larvae eat roots and the beetle eats new growth.

Gday Tim!

With all due respect, I'm pretty sure it ain't a longhorn (or longicorn) beetle. Mrs Fly assures me that it is indeed a weevil, and goes on to state that weevil ID is a science unto itself. She also mentions that with damage such as deformed leaves, the culprit is often long gone by the time the damage is evident.

Mrs Fly also said that as far as she knows, there are no beneficial weevils, but the damage they would be immediately evident (chew marks) as opposed to developmental problems such as distorted leaves. The grubs may be chewing on the roots of your trees, but I guess you don't know unless you repot every few weeks...

Thanks.

Fly.

from what i have learnt about weevil is they can be detrimental to trees, i am no expert on them but i know they lay eggs into the soil and the larvae will eat at the roots and can cause some major damage.

i would be checking your soils and repotting if necessary, this could be an issue if you have recently repotted or being out of season, but an emergency repot is called an emergency repot for a reason and can be done with success with the proper after care

jamie

Hi Brett, I'm pretty sure it's a vine weevil mate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vine_weevil

and they are bad news!!! Forget trying to crush it with your fingers. The exoskeleton is extremely tough. Best to cut it with a scissors.

Weevil it seems it is. I thought you just found them in flour A big thank you to Mrs Fly again. I think that is two for two. That's a pretty good success rate. I think we need to get her on the payroll
From google searches it seems that weevils mostly do damage like a caterpillar just munching away on leaves but as Jamie states varies stages of growth other than adult do seem to do things such as attack roots and even lay eggs in the leaf. As Mrs Fly states there are a vast array of Weevils and it seems there is room for variation of damage done.
This is only a quick search so don't quote me on this.
Here is a picture that after extensive research (3-4 pages of google pictures) I found could be similar to some of my damage. Although some how this led me to leaf blight which sounds much more like the big issue.

Leaf symptoms are evident in May. Irregular brown or black spots form, causing leaves to appear deformed. Infected shoots turn black, brittle, and bend over to resemble a shepherd's crook. Only young shoots and leaves are susceptible. As the season progresses and tissues mature, they become resistant.

On studying the leaves again it seems very possible there are two issues Blight(fungus which was one diagnosis) on the early shoots and eaten leaves on the older shoots that could be accounted for by Weevils.
Again don't quote me just thinking aloud

If leaf blight is the issue it seems getting some growth out of them will be the biggest benefit at the moment as the tree becomes resistant as it matures which is in line with the symptoms I have seen.

Thank again for all the help.
It seems spray spray and give them the best chance of growing through it for now.

Edit I will check out the Vine weevil now. I knew I had seen these blighters some where!

I think we can rule that weevil out Jester.

The adult weevil is black with fused wing covers, and is unable to fly

For starters this is brown not black but the decider is mine fly's
Also this looks a little big for mine.

The closest I have found to this is
exapion ulicis, gorse seed weevil. Although it does not sound to bad from my extensive google search It seems it was an introduced species in NZ to get rid of Gorse weed?

It would not be the first time they introduced a shitty bug though

vine weevil's are about 4-6mm long and thier larvae is the dreaded "CURL GRUB", how big is your bug brett

it looks to be smaller and i don't think the vine weevil would cause the curl in your leaf but the curl grub will surely have the tree suffer...

the only way to rid your tree of curl grub is to bare root, and squash all that you find

aaron_tas wrote:vine weevil's are about 4-6mm long and thier larvae is the dreaded "CURL GRUB", how big is your bug brett

it looks to be smaller and i don't think the vine weevil would cause the curl in your leaf but the curl grub will surely have the tree suffer...

the only way to rid your tree of curl grub is to bare root, and squash all that you find

see thats a scary thing bare rooting a tree out of season etc. to get the little f$^&#$@s.
i suppose with the right after care etc. it should be ok, but it is a problem that needs to be fixed. how big are these curl grubs? i take it from the size of the bug then the grub wouldnt be to big either?

jamie

I got my info from Leongs Ficus book. They look very similar. If anyone has this book check it out. They both cause the same damage, send it to its maker!

jamie111 wrote:how big are these curl grubs?

they look like witchety grubs, 10-25mm in length... squash em

if you suspect something like curl grub, submerge the pot in soapy (Not too soapy) water. this will force the grub to the surface, and it can be picked out of the soil. (If you have curl grubs in the lawn, excessive watering full stop is supposed to help force them to the surface, the birds then clean them up.) Soapy water will deter? many soil dwelling pests, as it breaks down thier defences?

get some rogor, and spray the tree with it, (Nothing living will survive rogor, including yourself, so don't drink it )

I am assuming that you have already tried such things as confidor (A kinder milder insecticide) do not spray the tree with fly spray, or surface spray. (Gee how do I know what that will do???

if in doubt, wait, and hope the tree survives till winter...