Posted this on the butterfly and hummingbird forum also. Am hoping that somebody can please identify these party animals for me before my entire crop of hibiscus is gone.
If they are good guys, will protect my seed pods from them and they can munch away, but if they're bad need to do some pest control mgt quick.
Would appreciate any help ya can give. never seen these critters before here. Got bette r than 20 of them just on a coupel plants this morning.
They're Hibiscus Sawfly larvae, Atomacera decepta - I don't think I've ever seen a Hibiscus that didn't have these eating them, around here anyway. I just smush 'em. Every day...
http://davesgarden.com/bf/go/901/
http://bugguide.net/node/view/4413
Thanks so much Clay. Your a plant saver! : )
I've had oen or two hibiscus over the years but never so many and so many varieties. I sure will be checkign out the other hibiscus I have. They have prayign mantis on them standing guard. : )
Thanks again!
You could spray with soapy water too. Get 'em while they're little.
Thanks Ceejaytown.... These guys did so much damage so fast while they was so little, I would hate to see what they could do if they ever got big. : )
Very interesting. Does anyone know what the adult looks like?
Yes, they're smallish, shiny black flies with red shoulders. The second link above has good pictures.
The link Clay sent from bugguide is fantastic. show s them in all different kind s of stages.
Picked and squished yesterday. And s couted this mornign and so far haven't seen any, but did discover last night sevral had move d on to the Confederate Ros e Hibiscus plants AGGGGGGGGGGG that was next to them so had to get them of f them too.
Funny thign is the plants in the sun have these pests on them and the hibiscus in the shade don't . Wonder if sun and heat temps have anything to do with the plants thes e guys attack?
Probably. I wish I could find the eggs, or a picture. The following link describes them:
http://www.ct.gov/caes/cwp/view.asp?a=2815&q=376942&pp=12&n=1
Females lay multiple rows of six disc-like eggs in leaf tissue near the margins causing brown blisters near the leaf tip.
When I get a chance will have totake a look and se e if I can fidn anythign on mine that matche s your description and se e if I can get a pic .
I did find this pic of the cocoon. Go down about half way down the page and click on pic link to se e it.
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/current_ipm/00PestNews/00News10/hibswf2.jpg
I went out and looked and on several leaves found the six tiny pin holes where they had chewd there way through.
I turned a bunch of leave s over and on one I found near the margin and almost mircoscopic egg. Kinda liek an oblong shape. Unles s really huntign woudl never notice it. Sraped it of f and had it on the end of my fingernail and was gonan try and bring in and photgraph, but my hummer was coming in for dinenr and he/she kind a dive bombs me to me let me know she there and she scare d me so much I dropped the teeny egg I had. Not sure if that oen or not.
Will try and look again tommorrow. The sketters are eatign me alive out there.
Great pic Clay! : ) Wish I was ther e right now. : ) Which cultivar of hibiscus is that do you happen to know?
I also notice d that it said thsi sawflies like Hollyhocks. Not good. I got a bunch of seedlings unde rthe light s inthe house that wil be going out soon to finish growing and then overwinter to bloom next year. Don't want thes e guys eatign them up. grrrrrrrrr
As far as I know, they're plain old Hibiscus moscheutos, or a sub-species. I call 'em Hibiscus mosquitos.
No Sawfly larvae on my Hollyhocks though, and they're just a few feet away. ? Plenty of Japanese beetles though.
I just found a bunch of tiny, tiny Sawfly larvae, about an eighth of an inch long. The eggs must be miniscule...
So far I'm winning the war, more leaf than holes!
has anyone here tried 1 T. molasses to a gallon of water and spray them? they hate the taste of the molasses.
I have them on my Turk's Cap too (Malvaviscus 'Drummondii') and it is in the Hibiscus family. They skeletonize the leaves.
