-
mjtenkarian
- Full Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:17 pm
- Location: Seekonk, MA
Is this a leaf beetle? How to treat?
I thought slugs were eating my hyssop plants but I went out last night and found these guys on the leaves. I tried to google image it for identification and could only come up with "leaf beetle." Is this correct? He is completely brown in color. How can I treat for them? I did spray them with a 10:1 mix of ammonia and water because I was spraying my slugs but it had no affect on them. Thanks for any info.
- Attachments
-
- 20130723_215100_1.jpg (21.55 KiB) Viewed 769 times
-
- 20130723_215257.jpg (21.03 KiB) Viewed 769 times
-
-
HotPepperMan
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Apr 05, 2010 5:21 pm
- Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Hi Martha,
That is the Brown Chafer (see here https://www.kendalluk.com/chafer.htm). The main problem is not so much the beetle, which does eat SOME leaves, but the larvae which eat roots of plants is a significant cause of damage to the roots. If there is significant leaf loss then use either DE (diatomaceous earth) lightly dusted over the plant/beetle and the ground below the plant or a neem oil based spray. I normally deep dig the soil in autumn and manually pick out the larvae I find but we have so much area under grass it is difficult to control. I also hand pick the beetles and drop them in a bowl of soapy water.
Another suggestion is to use a chili oil spray which I find effective for many insect pests AND for keeping many animals from feasting on fresh plants (I set up some sacrificial plants (lettuce etc) on the perimeter of the property and spray these). The chili oil can be found online or in some high end culinary stores. The brand I have is (I believe) called 'Pure Cap'. It is concentrated capsaicin and needs to be treated with a lot of caution. Mix one or two drops in a spray bottle with dish soap and hot water. Plastic bags over hands and avoid spraying when it is windy, plus avoid breathing the spray at all costs. Test it out on part of a plant first and do not spray in sunshine. Some plants can be damaged by the spray at early leaf development stage.
That is the Brown Chafer (see here https://www.kendalluk.com/chafer.htm). The main problem is not so much the beetle, which does eat SOME leaves, but the larvae which eat roots of plants is a significant cause of damage to the roots. If there is significant leaf loss then use either DE (diatomaceous earth) lightly dusted over the plant/beetle and the ground below the plant or a neem oil based spray. I normally deep dig the soil in autumn and manually pick out the larvae I find but we have so much area under grass it is difficult to control. I also hand pick the beetles and drop them in a bowl of soapy water.
Another suggestion is to use a chili oil spray which I find effective for many insect pests AND for keeping many animals from feasting on fresh plants (I set up some sacrificial plants (lettuce etc) on the perimeter of the property and spray these). The chili oil can be found online or in some high end culinary stores. The brand I have is (I believe) called 'Pure Cap'. It is concentrated capsaicin and needs to be treated with a lot of caution. Mix one or two drops in a spray bottle with dish soap and hot water. Plastic bags over hands and avoid spraying when it is windy, plus avoid breathing the spray at all costs. Test it out on part of a plant first and do not spray in sunshine. Some plants can be damaged by the spray at early leaf development stage.
-
mjtenkarian
- Full Member
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:17 pm
- Location: Seekonk, MA