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Pests & Diseases - Australia

leaf eating pest on lillypilly

15 years ago

My Lillypilly (dwarf Australis I think) hedge has been seriously chewed. Almost every leaf has been chewed around the edges. The only pests I have seen are several small bright green lady bug type creatures and a small caterpillar - nothing in the numbers that would be needed to eat up the whole hedge which is about seven metres long and one metre high. Any suggestions re what it might be and possible controls?

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Comments (4)

brandstormer
15 years ago
We have exactly the same problem. Some of my Lillypilly hedge has been badly eaten, especially the new growth. I didn't know what bug was doing it, but I found a few bugs that looked just like lime green lady-beetles. I sprayed our hedge with some pyreuthrum? and then hundreds of these green bugs/beetles fell out of it. I believe they are a form of leaf-beetle, but like you I need to know how to treat them. I have about 20metres of 2 metre high hedge and I don't want to lose it.

Please help.
otisbdriftwood
Original Author
15 years ago
I have done some more research - the beetle is the cause of the trouble. It is apparently a Green Strip Leaf Beetle (Calomela Pallida) which is normally kept under control by birds. However there is an apparent imbalance happening at the moment as by coincidence we have observed severe damage to other Lillypilly hedges on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast today - as well as our own Brisbane site. Green Beetles were all over these hedges. The next question I have is what is a non-toxic remedy for the control of these critters?
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tim.hackett
12 years ago
Same problem. I'm in Brisbane Australia. My Lilly pilly hedge has been badly eaten, especially the new growth. I can see the Green Strip Leaf Beetle (Calomela Pallida) on the plant in high numbers. How do we kill it.
ray_nielsen
8 years ago
I sprayed with pyrmethryn and hundreds fell out within minutes

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