holes in my camellia - leaf cutter bees?

[elleme]

Earlier this year I took out a rose which had been planted by the previous owner in a shaded location and had never done well at all in terms of flowering. It had always been visited by the leaf cutter bees though. Oddly enough there's a climbing rose growing very near to it but that either never gets holes or has grown too high up and rampant for me to notice them.

Anyway, I was just out in the garden and noticed quite a few round holes cut out of the sides of leaves in a camellia planted by the house. I put a bunch of bamboo canes for solitary bees on a nearby wall earlier in the year. Not sure if any are occupied yet, one looks like it may have been sealed but with mud, not leaf. Do leaf cutters take bits of camellia sometimes, as well as roses? I'd like to think it had some use - that's another plant I 'inherited' but it's pretty healthy looking and I don't have the heart or the energy to dig it out.

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by elleme

quite a few round holes cut out of the sides of leaves in a camellia planted by the house. Do leaf cutters take bits of camellia sometimes, as well as roses?

In my experience leaf cutter bees go for young and relatively shallow profile leaves - probably a function of the limitations of the size and strength of the bee's mouth parts.

I guess leaf cutters may go to work on young camellia leaves - however there is unfortunately a much more common 'attacker of camellia's and that is Vine weevil. Usually Vine weevils have a more erratic pattern of cut, but if the attack is made when the leaf is still in bud then a neater pattern can be left.

CM

[DuncanE]

I didn't know why my budleah leaves were looking so tatty. That was until i went out at night and found that earwigs were having a banquet all over it.

Maybe heading out at night armed with a torch might answer the question. Like me you may find all sorts noshing on your plants.

[elleme]

The holes look fairly neat, but they are mature, tough leaves right now. A bit chewy I should imagine! It could be that the holes were there when younger but I don't remember, I'll look next year when it's more recently put out some new leaves. I shall go out on a nighttime garden safari armed with my torch someday soon too.