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pests

gill59

By Gill59

United Kingdom Gb

A friend of mine is having trouble with pests, she has a raised bed in her back yard this summer she planted a couple of fuschias a dwarf hebe and a rambling rose something has been taking what looks like big bites out of the fuschia leaves and the rose but not the hebe i have scoured the whole bed but cannot find anything and plants but cannot find the culprit. I thought it might be earwigs but they've never been seen in the yard.........HELP




Answers

 

It could be vine weevil if you're unlucky, or leaf cutter bee if you're luckier! Vine weevils don't hang around on the plant after munching them, the holes are irregular shapes. They lay eggs in the soil that hatch into 'C' shaped white grubs.. Squash them! The weevils are about 3/4" long and brown.
Leaf cutter bees make perfectly circular holes on the edge (so it's not a complete circle!) of the leaf. Don't worry about them, they won't harm the plant. Weevil grubs, on the other hand, are now living in the soil and eating the roots of the plant!! There are chemicals that you can water onto the soil or spray the plant with to control the weevils. Search the internet for 'vine weevil' and see what advice you get on controls.

7 Oct, 2008

 

Sounds like weevils to me too i had nothing but problems with them at my old property, best to use nemotodes to get rid of both beetles and grubs.

7 Oct, 2008

 

Seeing as it is the rose and the fuchsia but not the hebe I would guess leaf cutters. These are bees and cut very neat semi-circles along the length of the edge of the leaf.
Check this site for information...
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0700/leafcutters.asp

7 Oct, 2008

 

Thanks for all your help I will have a dig around and see if I can find any grubs if not then leaf cutter bees it must be, and will be left well alone to get on with being busy.will let you all know the outcome.

7 Oct, 2008

How do I say thanks?

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