What could be eating my Amaranthus leaves?

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Mabatho Deltona, FL Mar 21, 2013

Please help me identify the culprit that is responsible for eating the leaves of my Amaranthus plants.
Also, what is the most harmless solution to this problem?


Regards,

Mabatho

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themoonhowl Prairieville, LA(Zone 9a) Mar 21, 2013

It looks like caterpillar damage. Check out this link it shows pictures of damage and what causes it and how to get rid of them. It is located in Florida.

http://www.breamslandscapinginc.com/common-florida-pests.html

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nelsoncastro Victoria, Australia Mar 21, 2013

Indeed, the linked shared it very useful. I also think that these leaf problem is caused by catterpilars.

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purpleinopp Opp, AL(Zone 8b) Mar 22, 2013

Unfortunately, probably from a cabbage white or sulphur. I couldn't find any butterflies whose cats I would allow to eat this plant. BUT no idea if the sources I checked are for US or include other locations in the world.

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ilv2grdn Cross Timbers, MO(Zone 6a) Mar 24, 2013

Looks to me like it's either spotted cucumber beetles or flea beetles. I have that problem too on my Amaranth 'Love lies bleeding'. What I do is when I start to see holes in the leaves, I spray the whole plant down with a strong jet of water several times in a day. After a day of being beat up by water, they will have decided that it is too much of a bother to eat this plant and leave the area. But keep an eye out because they WILL return, so then just "rinse and repeat". I do not use insecticides because that kills the good bugs along with the bad. I can't afford to kill my bees!

Good luck!

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