Have you seen the bug? Also, it could cause an issue if it becomes substantial.As you can see from the attached photo, I have a lot of my leaves nibbled at by an insect. Will this cause a problem for the hops and if so what can I do to eradicate them?
I haven’t seen them, buddy. I wondered at first if it was snails but I’m sure that it isn’t.Have you seen the bug? Also, it could cause an issue if it becomes substantial.
Neem oil is the usual go to for me and make sure you spray the underside of the leaves as well to kill any larva. This will also help a bit for future mildew issues.
Looks like caterpillar damage to me.I haven’t seen them, buddy. I wondered at first if it was snails but I’m sure that it isn’t.
Yep, but is it a common issue and will it impair the hops?Looks like caterpillar damage to me.
I’ll ask next time I’m at the garden Centre, buddy. Thanks for the reply.It'll impair your hops if the leaves get entirely eaten. Insects chewing on plants does induce some stress in them. Sometimes that's good for flavors but more often probably not. It also makes plants more susceptible to disease and fungal infections.
Hard to believe there isn't a service there in the big city that helps home gardeners with identifying pests and suggesting methods for their control.
Are there no garden supply shops? Surely someone at them will know what to suggest for control of whatever is eating on your plants.
I’ve just had a close look at the leaves and there’s been massive infestation but no sign of any caterpillar.We get Japanese Beetles here that cause damage that looks like that
Captain jacks dead bug is a great insecticide, that said it should not be used if flowering. It’s quite toxic.I had the same problem with my hops this year. I think I found the culprit, some kind of leaf miner and they are pretty good a hiding out it seems. Anyway, whatever they were, I sprayed them with a ogranicly approved bio control product called Captian Jacks Deadbug, and the level of damage being done went down right away.
Captain jacks dead bug is a great insecticide, that said it should not be used if flowering. It’s quite toxic.
We’ve been selling captain jacks at our nursery/greenhouses for about 10-15 years. I do understand that it is organic and derived from bacteria, that said it is one of the few organic compounds at market that the general public can purchase that can kill harb body insects. I understand they market it as low risk to humans but they do not specify if that is contact or ingestion.It is toxic to many insect species, very low to no toxicity to mammals. Active ingredients are Spinosad A and and Spinosad C. Both are derived from naturally occurring soil bacteria. Spinosad listed as OK to use on flowering and fruiting crops and organically certified.
That said, there is a few days suggested wait period between application and consumption of crops, and I also don't recommend using when pollinators are present, even though some tests have concluded it is of low toxicity to bees (not sure I believe that).
Coming late to this, but at least with a UK perspective - that kind of "spatter" damage in the middle of leaves is generally slugs/snails (more likely snails given the dry weather). Caterpillars tend to leave fewer, "holier" holes, and attack both the middle and edge of the leaf - they eat with mouths at the end of their heads, whereas slugs/snails eat with more of a grinding motion from a "mouth" some way down their underside, which doesn't work so well on edges. Also you're more likely to catch caterpillars in the act as they tend to live on the leaves, whereas slugs/snails tend to disappear into walls etc during the day and come out at night to feed.I haven’t seen them, buddy. I wondered at first if it was snails but I’m sure that it isn’t.
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