What Is The Willow Leaf Beetle? Willow leaf beetles are common on willows in landscapes and many natural areas. Adults and larvae feed both on willow leaves but they look very different. The adults are iridescent black to blue and about ¼ inch long and the larvae are dull gray to brown to army green.
Plants attacked by the beetle include most willows (mainly on white and black willow; attacks but not seriously the weeping willow).
Description of Willow Beetle Damage
The larvae skeletonize beneath leaves in feeding. The adults bite holes in the leaves, but the entire space eaten is less than larvae. Trees can be changed brown from dangerous populations.
Life History of The Willow Beetle
The hibernating adult starts to come out in the spring when foliage shows. These adults feed on the new leaves, tearing gaps in them. The eggs are laid for the beginning generation, and in a week, they hatch.
In less than four weeks, typically the adults come from pupae that were created by larvae. 2nd generation adults grow at the beginning of July and a 3rd at the beginning of August. These adults feed profoundly for numerous days, and by the end of August, mostly all have gone into hibernation. Only a few mate and deposit eggs that advance into forming the 4th generation. Willow leaf beetle develops three to four generations every year.
Overwintering stages – adults, beneath bark or other shelters.
Control Of The Willow Leaf Beetle
Control of willow leaf beetle is just a matter of using a lasting spray when larvae are seen for the first time hatching. In places where the willow leaf beetle is created, you have to treat them two to three times during the season for each generation. Plants and trees must be checked every so often for the presence of new larvae and egg masses. Contact a tree specialist to do the assessment.
As is usually the case with insects that make several generations a year, it is most helpful to get good control of the first generation. This reduces the 2nd and 3rd generations as well as making them simpler to control bringing less destruction to the tree. Products that can control willow leaf beetle are Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew, Sevin, horticultural oil, BioNeem, piperonyl butoxide, and pyrethrins.
If your tree is enormous, you might want to call an arborist to spray the tree for you. An arborist is trained and certified to spray trees safely and thoroughly.
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