Knowledgebase
cranberrybush beetle? #871984
Asked June 07, 2024, 12:00 AM EDT
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Hi Sara,
You have the Viburnum Leaf Beetle;
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/viburnum-leaf-beetle/
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/vlb/manage.html
As far as what you can do now, I would be out there with a jar of soapy water hand picking as many beetles and worms as you can morning and evening. If there are some in the worm stage you could try spraying them with soapy water mixed with very hot tabasco sauce ( any hot pepper you can mix with water). The worms soft bodies will be very irritated. Unfortunately, the best control is spraying your bush with dormant oil when it's not leafed out.
The good news is that the beetles only have one life cycle so if you can pick most of them off your bushes have a chance of recovering. Make sure they get water if we go into a drought because they will be stressed.
Good luck,
Sally Granath
St. Louis County MG