Holes in tomato plant leaves - Ask Extension
I found a tortoise beetle on one of my tomato plant leaves. My question is do the only eat holes in the leaves or can they do more damage? I have in...
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Holes in tomato plant leaves #874888
Asked June 26, 2024, 9:59 PM EDT
I found a tortoise beetle on one of my tomato plant leaves. My question is do the only eat holes in the leaves or can they do more damage? I have included a picture of the beetle, a leaf and another bug I found on the plant. Thank you for your help.
Genesee County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi Lisa, thanks for the question.
The tortoise beetle for the most part does not do significant damage; however, if the plant is young, or the beetles are numerous they can harm the plant. The other critter appears to be the nymph of a buffalo tree hopper which usually does not present a major problem. Check out the following links for some additional information on these insects:
clavate tortoise beetle - Plagiometriona clavata (Fabricius) (ufl.edu)
What insect is this? : Garden : University of Minnesota Extension (umn.edu)
Managing Pests in Gardens: Vegetables: Invertebrates—Buffalo treehopper (ucanr.edu)
I hope this is helpful.
