Oh guys, I finally caught and killed this bastard!
In case you did not hear the story...
I work at a garden center/nursery, and I brought this angel's trumpet into this green-house as I am planning on buying 1 for my self. A few hours later, I noticed some big holes in it, and I said, ok, now where is this )(%*$#W%()* leaf-cutter bee hiding at? I kept my eyes out for tell-tale nests (tubes, holes and etc), and could not find one. When I was watering the peppers, I noticed a pile of potting soil that has been 'kicked' out of 1 of the drain holes, and then I saw that bastid! He flew right into the hole with a freshly cut leaf, from my angel's trumpet. I have dug its nest out several times, and the )%($$)(% keeps nesting in it. Sooooo, today, I see this guy flying around, and I threw my trusty Trojan Battery hat (see the newspaper article about me on my website on www.dahliasuppliers.com you will see that actual hat) at that bee, and I knocked it out silly. Instead of smooshing it to oblivion, I picked it up and threw it into the display pond on the side of the nursery and 1 of my pet bass has happily gulped it down. (there are 2 largemouth bass that I feed by hand in this pond, and they are very tame.. both are about 3 pounds each, and no... fishermens, keep your poles in your car)
Anyways, that is my story for the night, but if you start seeing holes in your plant leaves, during the daytime, your culprit most likely would be a leaf-cutter bee. Simple solution... Dont chase it away, but keep a close eye on it, and watch where it flies to when it has a fresh cut as it flies very slow and clumsily. Their nests are not very far from where they cut the leaves... once you find the nest, sit right by it until you have your favorite throwing hat or a fly-swatter. If you keep these guys unchecked, they will make your plant look like swiss cheese, like our cannas when the previous owners allowed leaf-cutter bees to go wild...
they may be aggressive pollinators, but they will defoliate your plant to make their nests.
In case you did not hear the story...
I work at a garden center/nursery, and I brought this angel's trumpet into this green-house as I am planning on buying 1 for my self. A few hours later, I noticed some big holes in it, and I said, ok, now where is this )(%*$#W%()* leaf-cutter bee hiding at? I kept my eyes out for tell-tale nests (tubes, holes and etc), and could not find one. When I was watering the peppers, I noticed a pile of potting soil that has been 'kicked' out of 1 of the drain holes, and then I saw that bastid! He flew right into the hole with a freshly cut leaf, from my angel's trumpet. I have dug its nest out several times, and the )%($$)(% keeps nesting in it. Sooooo, today, I see this guy flying around, and I threw my trusty Trojan Battery hat (see the newspaper article about me on my website on www.dahliasuppliers.com you will see that actual hat) at that bee, and I knocked it out silly. Instead of smooshing it to oblivion, I picked it up and threw it into the display pond on the side of the nursery and 1 of my pet bass has happily gulped it down. (there are 2 largemouth bass that I feed by hand in this pond, and they are very tame.. both are about 3 pounds each, and no... fishermens, keep your poles in your car)
Anyways, that is my story for the night, but if you start seeing holes in your plant leaves, during the daytime, your culprit most likely would be a leaf-cutter bee. Simple solution... Dont chase it away, but keep a close eye on it, and watch where it flies to when it has a fresh cut as it flies very slow and clumsily. Their nests are not very far from where they cut the leaves... once you find the nest, sit right by it until you have your favorite throwing hat or a fly-swatter. If you keep these guys unchecked, they will make your plant look like swiss cheese, like our cannas when the previous owners allowed leaf-cutter bees to go wild...
they may be aggressive pollinators, but they will defoliate your plant to make their nests.
