Something eating my marigolds and vegetables - Ask Extension
Any idea what is eating the leaves of my marigolds and vegetable plants (cucumber, string beans, zucchini, and a little bit to collards) and how to st...
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Something eating my marigolds and vegetables #754971
Asked June 09, 2021, 7:55 AM EDT
Any idea what is eating the leaves of my marigolds and vegetable plants (cucumber, string beans, zucchini, and a little bit to collards) and how to stop it? It starts with small holes and if there are veins, they are left behind. So far, there is no significant damage to peas, tomato, or pepper plants. I have not seen any bugs, slugs, or evidence of animals. I put trays of beer out yesterday, no slugs in them today. I sprayed some of the plants with "Garden Safe" "Houseplant & Garden Insect Killer" twice with no apparent affect.
The picture shows the remains of a marigold in the foreground and string bean plant in the background.
Thank you.
Oakland County Michigan
Expert Response
Paul, thanks for the question.
It's a little hard to tell from the pictures (a closeup picture would help) but from your description I would expect asiatic garden beetle, a night time pest. But it seems early. Go out after dark with a flashlight and take a look. The insecticide you used must contact the pest and may explain continued damage. This could also be caused by an animal pest. Check out the following link:
I hope this helps,
I checked early this morning and found no beetles. I did find a lot of what is shown in the attachment (earwigs?), could they be causing the damage?
-----Original Message-----
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Paul Roberto <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Thu, Jun 10, 2021 8:24 am
Subject: Re: Something eating my marigolds and vegetables (#0024902)
From: Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>>
To: Paul Roberto <<personal data hidden>>
Sent: Thu, Jun 10, 2021 8:24 am
Subject: Re: Something eating my marigolds and vegetables (#0024902)
Paul, yes they can! They were not on the radar but they can do some severe damage and they come out at night. Check out the following links: