What bugs are eating my bougainvillea? What pests are attacking it?
Do you see any damage to your leaves?Is it like something has been chewing away?There are some serious nibbles here and there.I will show you what it is so you can take action.
I had bougainvilleas in both Santa Barbara and Tucson.I have learned a lot from working at a nursery.They are easy to maintain, except for thePruning which I enjoy.They have an all-out show of color.
There are a few pests which attack them that I have skimmed over in previous bougainvillea posts and videos, so it is time for more details.
It is very easy to identify this one because you will see large gnats taken out of the foliage.You don't see the leafcutter bee because it does its thing.I had leafcutter bees on one of my bougies in the spring, but I didn't see them in Santa Barbara.It was enough for me to notice.I found a leaf with the evidence so I could show you.
Nothing is what you should do as treatment.We need these bees.The leaves will grow back, so you don't have to worry about being stung.
The next two pests are caterpillar which are crazy.There are many different types of caterpillar.The damage done by caterpillar can vary, but the treatment is the same.
The little black specks on the leaves are the frass of the caterpillar.The excrement of the caterpillar has its own word.
I did not see these on my bougies in Santa Barbara.They protect by rolling themselves up under the leaves and closing them with silk threads.You can see the threads on the undersides after the caterpillar has left a leaf.As far as I can see, the damage to the plant is at the end of the stems.
There is a caterpillar.You can see the silk on the leaf behind the caterpillar.
The leaftier damaged the ends of the stems.The leaves are rolled up.
These are the most common chewing pests that attack bougainvilleas.They had a big time in Santa Barbara every year.They are brown to green to yellow.The loopers hang out under the leaves at night and are hard to spot.
They do more damage than the leaftier.The leaves can look like thin lace if they are chewed extensively.Please let us know if you have seen the looper cause leaf curl.
The bougainvillea looper is a small green inchworm.You can see the damage done to my mint in the video.It looks like the damage this looper does.
These pests do not endanger the health of an established plant.The damage is not real.New leaves will appear a couple of times a year when the bougainvilleas shed.A young plant could be at risk of being attacked.
The damage to my bougainvilleas doesn't bother me.I won't see them again for a year after they hatch.I will eventually get rid of the damage done by the leaftiers.I would let the loopers be because I couldn't see them unless I got close.
You can find the leaftier covered in silk inside the rolled up leaves during the day.It would be very labor intensive to find the looper.
If you want to control them with a spray, I would advise you to do it before the problem gets worse.If the caterpillars come back, apply again.To make it effective, be sure to spray where the caterpillars are.Even though both of these sprays are non- harmful to beneficial insects, please be sure to spray around dusk when they aren't as active.
The caterpillar dies when it becomes sick from the naturally occurring btbacteria.It is considered a natural pesticide.It was always recommended to control caterpillar when I worked at a nursery.neem oil is the other product.I have no experience with this.Let us know if you have.
Don't waste your time, caterpillar are treated differently than insecticidal soap and horticultural oil.
The pests don't seem to attack the flowers and that's a good thing.The explosion of color that only bougainvillea leaves can provide is what we want.None of my plants have been attacked by these pests.Do more research to find out what is best for you, the plant and the environment.
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I am in the Gold Canyon area and have a bougainvillea for years and this year is the first time I have encountered this problem... lots of butterflies and moths as well.Thanks for the post, I know what I'm dealing with.
I am enjoying lots of butterflies this year.I didn't bother with the butterflies or the bougainvilleas.They are looking better now that the temperatures have dropped.There is a person named Nell.
Thank you for showing the Bougainvillea Leaftier.If that would help you, I have a video of the bougainvillea looper.The LA County Dept. received images of the Leaftier before they knew what it was.They couldn't identify it and thought it was a juvenile looper, which is definitely not true.If that would help you, I have an image of the juvenile which is completely transparent.
Thank you for that information!I sprayed my plants with 3 and 1 Ortho because I noticed black specks on the leaves.Is it okay to spray again?I am on the 8th floor and I have two beautiful Bouganvilleas in pots.I have new leafage and I am afraid it will destroy my plants.Thank you for any help you can give me.Maybe a different kind of pesticide?This book and bouganvilleas are usually very good.
I reside in Cape Town, South Africa.We are currently going through a dry spell.The bougainvillea is growing in the tub.I don't understand why it is not growing well.The culprit was found this afternoon.The doves were eating leaves in the tub.I have never seen this before.Everything is very dry.Water is available for them.Jean Strachan, any comments?
That would be great.The bougies in Santa Barbara had the looper.The image can be sent to info@joyusgarden.com with the subject line "looper image for Nell".Thanks!There is a person named Nell.
I do not use chemical pesticides so can not recommend any.Chemicals don't work on caterpillars.I said in the post that anyBT spray works on them.They are hard to control because they are active after dark.You should get the undersides of the leaves if you spray.There is a person named Nell.
I have heard about your dry spell.I have a lot of doves around my house, but they don't eat my bougainvilleas.Some birds will eat the caterpillar which is on the leaves.I'm not sure if doves do.There is a person named Nell.
Something is killing my huge bougainvilleas by destroying the woody stems, Not any wildlife like deer here in San Diego city, there are various birds rousing in the vines like sparrow finch and doves, I have never seen the birds damage the leaves.Would birds be shredding the vines for other reasons?Is there an insect that attacks the stems?The damage is going on for a long time.There is a lot of debris, shredded parts of stems, and the same thing is happening to the top fronds on a huge date palm I planted 25 years ago.I have never seen any insects on either plant.Help?Please tell me what to research.
If you want to find out what is going on with your bougainvillea and date palm, you could go to your local ag extension office.The University of California, San Diego has a website calledcesandiego.ucanr.edu.
I live in Playa del Carmen in Mexico.We have warm to very hot wheater, I have 2 Santa Rita plants in large pots in the balcony, one is doing fantastic, growing up from a small branch I found when walking.The other one is a mixed and white color, but the green leaves are showing signs of a pest.I would appreciate it if you answered on line or e-mail.Thank you, Dora Sohnlein.
I have been to Playa del Carmen before.The pests that attack bougies are in the post.The most common is the bougainvillea looper.I have never seen a bougainvillea caterpillar.The bougainvilleas can also be attacked by the gnats.I would check the nursery to see if there is another pest attacking them.There is a person named Nell.
I have the same specifications as the person who posted.Thank you so much, I ordered the caterpillar from you.
Is it a brand or a generic?Do you know the name of the spray?Is it possible to find it at Home Depot?Many thanks.!
You are certainly welcome.This year, my bougainvilleas are not as bad as they were last year.They are with the plant.There is a person named Nell.
The brands that contain it are different.Someone at HD will be able to help you find it.There is a person named Nell.
Thank you, great information.I have white bougainvilleas in my yard.The white variety has a bigger issue with caterpillar than other colors.Is this something you have seen before?
Thank you, Roxane.I have not heard about the white bougainvilleas.Last season my rainbow gold bougainvillea came back well.Barbara Karst is not as attacked as I am.It gets more hot sun.There is a person named Nell.
My bush is 6 years old and I live in Sun City AZ.The branches are being eaten by something.Looks like they have been cut.It only happens at night.
Hello, Nell!I enjoy reading your posts and recently started outdoor gardening.Before planting mine, I read up on bougainvilleas and followed your advice to keep it in the nursery pot.I think I have a rosenka.The leaves are all curled and the blooms have all fallen off.In the top photo on the post, you have the same colors and leaves, but my leaves are more curled.I don't know how to get my bougie looking better.The leaves are green and not dry, and I haven't noticed any pests, though we have lots of spiders and they have made their way into some of the leaf curls.I don't see any signs of a deficiency, but I might not know how to spot it.I have fed it orchid food 30 times in the past 6 weeks.I would like to thank you for putting this together.
You are very welcome!The effects are what you don't see a pest for.The nitrogen is too high for a bougie.You can check my posts here: https://www.joyusgarden.com/category/outdoor-gardening/bougainvillea.
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