Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - December 08, 2014
From: Houston, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests
Title: Problem with leaf cutting bees in Houston, TX
Answered by: Jimmy Mills
QUESTION:
I have four Arapaho crepe myrtle trees in my backyard and two have leaves, especially the young leaves, being eaten by something. I do not see ants of beetles on the leaves and have not seen any bees although the leaves look like the damage done by the leaf cutting bees. I used the BAYER ADVANCED 12 Month Tree & Shrub Protect & Feed Gal Concentrate Liquid when I planted them early this summer and that was extremely effective in ridding the leaves of aphids. However, the leaves are still being eaten almost as fast as the tree grows them. Please tell me any suggestions you may have. Thank you.ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants has found several links about leaf cutting bees that he will share with you. The damage that they do to the leaves is pretty distinctive, so your diagnosis is probably correct. There are pictures in some of the links.
http://buginfo.com/article.cfm?id=103
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05576.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/misc/leafcutterbees.html
http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/leafcutter-bees.html
http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/bee-ready.html
The gist of the articles is that there are few effective insecticides against the bees, and since they are pollinators, killing them is ill advised. The one method of control that was mentioned was using netting to keep the bees away from the plant.
More Pests Questions
Swarming insects on non-native willow in Washington PA
September 25, 2011 - I have had a very large, beautiful pillow willow bush/tree growing next to our garage for about 8 years. Last year at the end of August, it began to attract white-faced hornets and yellow jackets by t...
view the full question and answer
Weedy buffalo grass from Dripping Springs, TX
March 07, 2013 - I have a buffalo grass lawn. It is thin and filled with weeds. I would like to find a solution to improve my lawn. I prefer a native grass but I need to be able to control the weeds and I am not ph...
view the full question and answer
Caterpillars attacking mountain laurel in Marble Falls TX
August 27, 2009 - What are the caterpillars that eat up our mountain laurel? Nothing left but a few stems.
view the full question and answer
Holes in leaves of wax myrtle from Austin
April 30, 2011 - I just purchased 4 of the 5 gallon Wax Myrtles at the last spring plant sale and after planting them, they are getting eaten by bugs leaving holes in the leaves. I can't find any of the bugs doing th...
view the full question and answer
Reaction to something in the garden from Dowling MI
May 25, 2012 - In late March I was working in my yard raking etc. The next morning I had three black spots between my knee and shin that were swelling and feverish. Two days later the areas became bigger and began...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |