I know, that's why I'm so worried my whole crop will disappear without my being able to do anything about it. This is definitely a stealth "critter." Stems are eaten right down to the ground along with the leaves, which are *not* skeletonized. The photo shows the first typical phase: large chunk gone one day, bigger chunk later or the next day, gobbled down to the grround the next, then the next leaf gets started on and when that's gone, the next plant. You know how leaf miners love spinach and chard, laying their eggs inside and killing the leaves? Well, I was wondering if anyone knew what loves to eat chard like this. Some bugs love certain things. Nothing has touched my leaf lettuce sitting right next to the chard. Whatever it is likes chard and not lettuce. I've lived here for six months now and I've never laid eyes on a rabbit. I'm home most of the day, too, and see my garden from my kitchen window.

Hello Kendra. Unfortunately, that is the larvae of the Mexican Bean Beatle. Left unchecked, they can be devastating and are very difficult to control, especially organically. There is a kick-butt little wasp that is a natural predator, but they are a little pricey. Below is a link to a thread here on GW that discusses them. Other than that, google "Mexican Bean Beatle Control" and develop your plan of attack, the earlier the better. Good Luck. Rick Here is a link that might be useful: Pediobius foveolatus thread

We have had these bugs nesting near our patio in a hanging "chime" for a few years now, that has horizontal metal tubes. They plug up the middle of the tube with grasses and close down the entrance so they can squeeze in- and plug it up completely in the winter. They seem to be a solitary insect- 1 bug per tube entrance- although we do have a few living in this chime. I too have seen them resting on trees- and vertical plants in the garden- and I believe the males are much smaller- shorter, thicker and more bronze/sheen black colored- who knew they were hard to find- maybe I should bottle one up and make a call next time I think I see what I think is a male- they do not appear to live long- I doubt I will see one again this year- although momma can be seen tending the nest early in the cooler morning temps in the hot weather. I believe they live longer than one year- as it sure seems to be the same creature we see every year for the last few years. They are frightening to witness- but we have never had any trouble with these bugs- they generally keep to themselves and have never shown any aggression- and actually seem to prefer privacy and solitude. Bonus that they like grubs! I was concerned they might be harming trees. I hope you can put your concerns to rest soon and maybe even appreciate them for their fearsomely odd appearance-

Sharon - Yes, my Fortuniana EA is very big and tends to throw out some large canes, especially in the fall, not so much in the spring. I had hundreds of blooms on mine last spring, but remember my Fortuniana Earth Angel is three years old. My own root plants are no where near as large and do not get nearly as many blooms, but then again, they do not get as much sun as the grafted ones do. I have noticed that some nurseries are selling Earth Angel grafted plants that are not on Fortuniana. Maybe they would be more manageable. I find it interesting that most of you say that Earth Angel is so fragrant. I don’t smell much fragrance at all on mine, ever. As far as the Chilli Thrips, we had an awful year this year with those terrible pests. You could even see where they were on the canes as well as the leaves. I have been growing roses for close to 40 years and Chilli Thrips have been the worst pest we have ever had.