Friend or Foe?
It’s good to know who is creating the leaf damage in your garden!
FRIEND! Leaf cutter bees are solitary cavity nesting bees. They protect their eggs with a leaf or flower petal wrap. Those dime-sized cut-outs are a gift from your friendly pollinator!
FOE! These snout-nosed female weevils chew notches into prized plants, but the damage is just cosmetic. It’s the damage that’s done underground by her larvae that is so destructive. They burrow into the roots and can kill the plant such as this Heuchera (coral bells).
Images: Weevil – David Short, Wiki Commons;
Leaf cutter bee damaged foliage images by Elaine Sedgman
Sources:
Gilkeson, L. Natural Insect, Weed & Disease Control, 2013. www.lindagilkeson.ca
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/megachile_bees.shtml
| Attachment | Size |
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| LEAF CUTTER BEE or WEEVIL_0.pdf | 305.33 KB |