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Do Vine Weevils go for rose leaves?

Devon, United Kingdom Gb

My friend's rose bush, given to her by her deceased mother, has leaves which have been chipped at the edges in the way that vine weevils leave little cutouts. it's in a small bed by the door where she tends to leave potted plants before planting.




Answers

 

If the holes are perfectly rounded and on the edges of the leaves and are not that big, e.g 5-8mm then its vine weevil.
Leaf cuters bees also make holes around the edgo of the leaves, but they tend to be larger and les curved, they look like they have been nibbled.
It is possibly for vine weevil to go for the rose esp if it is planted near where there are a collection of pot plants-vine weevil favourites!

11 Sep, 2009

 

My climbing rose has had semi circular pieces taken out of it which were done by the leaf cutter bee. They prefer roses,but as they are solitary they tend not to damage the plant badly,so I leave them alone and just cut off the worst leaves. I think the ones made by the bee are larger and smoother than the ones by vine weevils.
Weevils attack such a wide variety of plants so if you can compare other plant damage it would help you to tell which it is :)

11 Sep, 2009

 

thankyou for your answers Nicky and Aster. I will pass them on to my mate. I should have added that there is a hardy geranium next to it which has been decimated (not in a pot) so much that the leaves look like fine lace. I didn't think it was connected to the rose leaf damage and from what you say, it probably is not. Oh if only I'd used my head and used my camera phone!

11 Sep, 2009

 

Possibly as above it is leaf cutter bees.

11 Sep, 2009

 

There is a geranium sawfly which are usually in large numbers and could badly affect the plant.

11 Sep, 2009

 

if it is vine weevil check the roots .they lay there grubs by the roots and the grubs will eat the soft roots and kill your plant.

13 Sep, 2009

 

Thankyou everyone for your comments and advice. When Aster mentioned a geranium sawfly, it rang a bell in my head, because the leaves have been decimated in much the same way as Solomon's Seal leaves are when their sawfly gets going.
So it may be the case that there are two different predators at work. I'll tell her to measure thr cutouts in the rose leaves.

15 Sep, 2009

How do I say thanks?

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