Re: Insects
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Insects
- From: m* l*
- Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 10:22:48 -0600
At 12:54 AM 5/22/2000 EDT, you wrote:
>In a message dated 5/21/00 11:29:48 PM Central Daylight Time,
>LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU writes:
>
><< Jennifer,
> Can you describe the holes and where they are located on the leaf? There
> are several insects that make holes in leaves. And you may be dealing with
> more than one pest..
>
> Gerry >>
>
>The holes are semi circular shaped, like a bite from cookie or so. <g>
>They're on the edges of the leaf. But on my rose bushes, it took all the
>leaves completely off and stripped the bush completely of leaves. The insect
>did leave me one rose, though. <groan> What could this be?
>
>Jennifer Sheppard
>
The "cookie bite" holes are courtesy of leaf-cutting bees, but they don't
entirely remove leaves. That's a different culprit. Leaf-cutting bees are
used to pollinate alfalfa to produce seeds because other kinds of bees have
the wrong physical equipment to pollinate alfalfa flowers. They lay eggs in
holes, and "roof" them with the leaf circles. Commercial guys make "bee
boards" (the right sized holes, etc.), and sell or rent them to farmers
growing alfalfa seeds. The boards are quite valuable, valuable enough to be
"rustled" from time to time. Run a search and see what the correct diameter
and depth of the holes are and see if you can build your own bee board.
Margaret L
