Leaves being eaten

Leaves being eaten

Asked on 18 Jul, 2008

I am pulling my hair out wondering what is causing this! My honeysuckle and passionflower plants (none of the other types of plant) are being eaten and I cant find out what is causing it. They seem to be attacked
from the top downwards so I dont think its slugs. I cant see any bugs or in fact any evidence of bugs or fungus on them. The leaves are being chewed away as if caterpillars are eating them but there is no evidence of them either! What on earth can it be?

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Spritzhenry

18 Jul, 2008

Possibly earwigs. Put a flowerpot filled with straw (or torn-up newspaper) upside down on top of a cane by the affected plants. In the morning, shake out the contents and see if earwigs come out, then you will know and also of course, you can destroy them! Good luck.

Andrewr

18 Jul, 2008

I had one shrub that was regularly affected by leaf-eating bees. It looked untidy but didn't do the plant any harm

Jess

18 Jul, 2008

Check behind them to see if it is snails. They have a habit of hiding in the cool, damp, shade of climbing plants coming out at night to eat the tender new growth

Marguerite

19 Jul, 2008

Do you get grasshoppers in your area? They sometimes are choosy and choose the best things, nice and sweet. They come and fly away again, so leaving no trace. And as they land on top of the plants that's where they eat first. Heh Spritzhenry, that sounds a inventive way to deal with earwigs. We have leaf cutting bees here too, they attacked my rose leafs at one stage, a definite round shape cut.

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