[JTh]

I still haven't solved the problem of who is eating the leaves on my rose bushes, but a few days ago I found this giant locust, which seems to be a female Anacridium aegyptium (Egyptian tree locust, at least 7 cm long) sitting on a partly digested rose leaf. I wonder if this is the culprit? If so, is there any dererrent, would a spray with neem oil make the rose leaves less tempting?


_6291714_Anacridium aegyptium.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr

[David Bracey]

Do you have a pic of the leaf damage...it may vine weevil , chafer etc ...?

[JTh]

You are right, David. When I looked more closely, I did find leaves indicating that the damage is caused by larvae of chafers, and between two leaves stuck together with a fine web, I detected this larvae (top photo). It was about 7-8 mm long, pale, small head, very short legs. It didn’t like to be disturbed and was moving very rapidly, so it was difficult to get a proper photo of it. The next shows the leave where I found it, and the last one of a leaf in an advanced stage.  At the end only the nerves are left.

I don’t see the adult chafers on the roses now, but there are plenty of large, green metallic looking chafers having a feast in our pear tree.


_7031845_Offending larva.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr


_7031859_Early leaf damage.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr


_7031860_Advanced leaf damage.jpg by JorunT, on Flickr

[JTh]

I’m afraid I was too quick in blaming the chafers alone, at some closer inspection I discovered lots of larger larvae with orange heads and black markings, around 1.5 cm long. As far as I can see, they must be larvae of the sawfly, Arge ochropus. They probably cause more damage than anything else, greedy creatures!


_7031864_Arge ochropus .jpg by JorunT, on Flickr


_7031868_Arge ochropus .jpg by JorunT, on Flickr

[Alisdair]

Amazing photos, Jorun!