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Nannyberry Viburnums #756925

Asked June 17, 2021, 8:41 PM EDT

I have two Nannyberry Viburnums and as you can see something is eating the leaves. This is the 2nd year that this is happening. Last year I thought insect was going to kill them. There was hardly a leaf that was not eaten at least 3/4 the way gone. This year it is starting again. I believe I may have found the culprit. However, not 100% sure, as the insect was just hanging out not eating. Can you let me know if this insect is to blame? If not what could be doing it. Also, will these bugs kill the shrub? Also what I can do to save it? I try to be ecologically safe and really don’t like to use insecticide if possible.

Wayne County Michigan

Expert Response

Hello, 

It looks like you have a few things going on here. The leaves of your first picture look more like leafcutter bee damage. Leafcutter bees are solitary bees, and don’t produce colonies like social insects such as honeybees and yellowjacket wasps do. The leafcutting bees collect fragments of leaves to construct individual cells within their nest. They cut leaves in semi-circular or circular notches on many broadleaf plants. They are beneficial pollinators and are active May – August. The damage is purely cosmetic and do no harm to the plant.

Leaf Cutting Bees 'Love' Redbuds and More | BYGL (osu.edu)

Your other 2 pictures are good shots of leafhoppers, the third picture looks like the potato leaf hopper. Leafhoppers are wedge shaped insects which feed on foliage by piercing the plant cells and sucking out the contents. The damage that results from feeding depends on the host plant and the specific hopper. Feeding damage from some species causes small white spots (stippling) to appear on the upper leaf surface, usually beginning near the leaf midrib. Your third picture does show stippling. Stippled areas can unite into larger whitish blotches on mature leaves. With some plants, feeding damage causes a drying and yellowing (or browning) of leaf margins, and possibly the whole leaf.

Leafhoppers and planthoppers (missouribotanicalgarden.org)

Potato leafhopper - Integrated Pest Management (msu.edu)

Leafhoppers - Integrated Pest Management (msu.edu)

Managing Pests in Gardens: Vegetables: Invertebrates—Leafhoppers (ucanr.edu)

The Missouri botanical garden article gives good advice on using floating row covers or netting. The netting can be placed over plants early to exclude leafhoppers and may help the cutter bee to choose another plant.

I do want to include the following information on the viburnum leaf beetle which does cause extensive leaf damage to many viburnums. You may be seeing damage from them instead of the other two suspects.

What’s eating my viburnums and how can I stop it? - Gardening in Michigan (msu.edu)

Viburnum Leaf Beetle (VLB), Cornell University

I am also including the following articles for future reference.

Common Insect Pests of Viburnum (uky.edu)

23(3)April29Insert.pdf (cornell.edu)

I hope this information helps you out!  Thank you for contacting Ask Extension. 

An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 22, 2021, 8:59 AM EDT

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