I am going to post 4 pictures of leaves on my brugs. We have had wind gusts up to 40 mph the last couple of days and I think some of the damage is wind. But some of it looks like bugs although I can't find any. Please help! Thanks,
Annie
P.S. If they are bugs, what should I treat them with?
I am sure this is damage caused by earwigs, I have the same problem.
You could hang flower pots stuffed with wood wool into your brugs or use an alu can with the lid removed and stuffed with the same. Earwigs tend to hide in there...they normally come out during the night ... so you won't see them. You could kill them by pouring hot water inside the cans...
Check the underside of the pots as well. They prefer dark moist places. I would also look for caterpillars.
Winds have been fierce here too. Outside the city limits there is nothing to block the wind. Wind damage will show up as tears. Holes like the one in your photo are caused by something chewing on it. I live right in the middle of a triangle formed by Smithville, La Grange and Giddings. Right now we have hundreds, literally, of an as yet unidentified caterpillar.
This message was edited Apr 18, 2008 9:30 AM
I don't have earwigs but I do have those same holes that are made by little green caterpillars.......but damage like that could be caused by any number of bugs....definitely not wind damage
Except that caterpillars don't disappear and reappear like earwigs do...
omg that must be whats eating my leaves I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure it out, and they are really munching on mine. what is wood wool?
Wood excelsior in AE.
Hello where do I puchase wood excelsior AE? As I am the same problen with some of mine funny it seems to like this one plant very much..........lol
James, you can probably get wood shavings (wood excelsior) at a local pet store. Wood shavings are often used to line pet cages, but you could also use other methods to get rid of earwigs.
http://www.ehow.com/how_155998_rid-earwigs.html
How can I get rid of or at least control a bad infestation of earwigs?
In general, bugs can fall into one of three categories: good bugs, bad bugs, or so-so bugs. Earwigs happen to be one of the so-so bugs. While they may have some negative characteristics, such as occasionally feeding on cultivated plants, they can also be one of the good bugs. Earwigs tend to eat mostly decaying organic matter and garden insect pests, so be sure the earwigs are actually causing a problem before you set out to eliminate them. If they’re eating garden plants, the best way to control them is with traps.
*Hang a flowerpot upside down on a stake in the garden. Place a bit of dry moss, moistened straw, hay, or newspaper in the pot. The earwigs will climb up at the end of the evening to rest. Empty the trap each morning and dump the earwigs into soapy water.
* Cut a piece off an old garden hose and place it in the garden. The earwigs will hide in the hose. You will need to empty it each morning.
*Pour some beer into a shallow dish (empty tuna fish tins work well). In a shady spot, place the dish in the soil so the rim is just above ground level. Every few days, empty out the trap and refill. Use this method only when necessary as it also drowns beneficial creatures.
*You can also use fruit juice, corn syrup, or fish oil in your trap. Dark beer is apparently better than light and should be mixed 1:1 with water, with a bit of sugar added.
* You can also place these mixtures in a shallow dish that’s covered with a lid. There should be enough room between the lid and the dish for the insects to crawl in and drown.
Diatomaceous sprinkled on the surface of the soil or plant is also works well to destroy snails, slugs and other moist bodied pests.
Abutilon where would I purchase this Dialomaceous?
