Leaf Eating Beetle

[chiang mai]

My young trees (mostly) are being attacked by a flying beetle, it looks a bit like a cockroach, a half to three quarters of an inch in length, light to medium brown with short wings and it feeds at night - a couple of taller older trees also have evidence of attack at very high levels - they are creating havoc in the garden and have almost stripped one tree bare.

I've tried spraying with a chemical with mixed results, the water from the sprinklers wash it off the lower levels and the higher levels are almost impossible to spray.

Anything I can sensibly do about this problem?

[xen]

Could you give us a bit more info such as what the trees are . I know it would be difficult to get a photo if they are only about at night but you may be able to photo a captured one or a dead one for easier id. Then we can go from there .

[fruitman]

My sprayer has a telescopic lance so it's easy to spray 5-6 metres high..large tree's i can spray in 5 seconds with the electric sprayer.

If you spray with Bayer folitec they won't eat the leaves. I have red beetles who always eat the young mangoleaves, they don't even eat them but bite them off while they have sex doggystyle.

[drtreelove]

My sprayer has a telescopic lance so it's easy to spray 5-6 metres high..large tree's i can spray in 5 seconds with the electric sprayer.

If you spray with Bayer folitec they won't eat the leaves. I have red beetles who always eat the young mangoleaves, they don't even eat them but bite them off while they have sex doggystyle.

That's kind of kinky of those little critters! It must be fascinating; is this something you watch for any length of time?

IMO, for OP Chiang Mai, the exact ID of the beetle is not important, nor the host tree species. If you have chewing insect pests defoliating trees in an active, aggressive infestation, then you have three options that I can think of.

1. Let the infestation run it's course, water and fertilize the trees to aid in recovery and re-foliation.

2. Intervene

2a: contact insecticide spray (pyrethrins, organic / or a pyrethroid like cypermethrin ) (use a spreader/sticker adjuvant to enhance residual effectiveness) for the entire canopy of infested trees. Not practical if you do not have a supercharged, telescopic wand, backpack sprayer like Fruitman invested in. Or can hire someone with a proper tank sprayer that can reach the tree tops. You can buy one at Sriyont in Chiang Mai, or ask them for a referral to someone with one of their sprayers who hires out.

2b. If not a food producing tree but ornamental: Soil drench for root uptake with a systemic insecticide. Imidacloprid is too slow for uptake to address an active infestation, but Starkle G with active ingredient of dinotefuran, will be taken up right away with adequate soil moisture.

If you want to ID the insect pest, you may find it in the book for which I am attaching a cover photo and some page examples.

[fruitman]

I can find all those beetles in my tree's any time of the day, they 're always there. Big or small ones, caterpillars witch horns, and thousands others.

When i see pictures of mangotree's in other parts of the world they always looks so undamaged, well forget that in Thailand. The tree's will get attacked every day nonstop and if you fertilize them Nitrogen even more.

Those beetles lay eggs in the soil who can become white grubs who eat roots.

My tree's always have reptiles in them who go after the insects. Also some spiders like to hunt in the tree's.

[chiang mai]

Many thanks for all your replies, I've been away for the weekend but am now back and will try to get some pictures of the beetle and will post same later today.

[Stray]

Thanks again, drtreelove.

I have a similar sounding beetle (as the OP) which primarily attacks my palm oil and coconut trees, at night. As there is also a growing colony of 'lady beetles', I have been reluctant to use anything to destroy the pests as I don't want to kill/repel the 'lady beetles'. I was conducting my own nightly raids on the pests (hand to hand combat), unfortunately, my trees are very young and are not recovering from the enemy attacks.

It may be time for me to launch 'chemical' warfare, as suggested by drtreelove and learn to live with the collateral damage to other, more beneficial, bugs.

[LauraLikesBugs]

It is always important to ID your pest! Please, do not use broad spectrum insecticides brazenly as you will cause resistance problems in the pest species. I am concerned that the pest may not be a beetle at all from your description and would like to see a picture if at all possible, please. If it is a caterpillar or larvae, consider applying B.t. for the pest as that will kill just defoliating caterpillars (if they are butterflies/moths). Furthermore, are you sure that the beetles themselves are actually eating the tree and are not merely attracted to it at night while something else is eating it without your noticing? Have you caught this bug "red-handed"?

My sprayer has a telescopic lance so it's easy to spray 5-6 metres high..large tree's i can spray in 5 seconds with the electric sprayer.

If you spray with Bayer folitec they won't eat the leaves. I have red beetles who always eat the young mangoleaves, they don't even eat them but bite them off while they have sex doggystyle.

That's kind of kinky of those little critters! It must be fascinating; is this something you watch for any length of time?

IMO, for OP Chiang Mai, the exact ID of the beetle is not important, nor the host tree species. If you have chewing insect pests defoliating trees in an active, aggressive infestation, then you have three options that I can think of.

1. Let the infestation run it's course, water and fertilize the trees to aid in recovery and re-foliation.

2. Intervene

2a: contact insecticide spray (pyrethrins, organic / or a pyrethroid like cypermethrin ) (use a spreader/sticker adjuvant to enhance residual effectiveness) for the entire canopy of infested trees. Not practical if you do not have a supercharged, telescopic wand, backpack sprayer like Fruitman invested in. Or can hire someone with a proper tank sprayer that can reach the tree tops. You can buy one at Sriyont in Chiang Mai, or ask them for a referral to someone with one of their sprayers who hires out.

2b. If not a food producing tree but ornamental: Soil drench for root uptake with a systemic insecticide. Imidacloprid is too slow for uptake to address an active infestation, but Starkle G with active ingredient of dinotefuran, will be taken up right away with adequate soil moisture.

If you want to ID the insect pest, you may find it in the book for which I am attaching a cover photo and some page examples.

[chiang mai]

It is always important to ID your pest! Please, do not use broad spectrum insecticides brazenly as you will cause resistance problems in the pest species. I am concerned that the pest may not be a beetle at all from your description and would like to see a picture if at all possible, please. If it is a caterpillar or larvae, consider applying B.t. for the pest as that will kill just defoliating caterpillars (if they are butterflies/moths). Furthermore, are you sure that the beetles themselves are actually eating the tree and are not merely attracted to it at night while something else is eating it without your noticing? Have you caught this bug "red-handed"?

My sprayer has a telescopic lance so it's easy to spray 5-6 metres high..large tree's i can spray in 5 seconds with the electric sprayer.

If you spray with Bayer folitec they won't eat the leaves. I have red beetles who always eat the young mangoleaves, they don't even eat them but bite them off while they have sex doggystyle.

That's kind of kinky of those little critters! It must be fascinating; is this something you watch for any length of time?

IMO, for OP Chiang Mai, the exact ID of the beetle is not important, nor the host tree species. If you have chewing insect pests defoliating trees in an active, aggressive infestation, then you have three options that I can think of.

1. Let the infestation run it's course, water and fertilize the trees to aid in recovery and re-foliation.

2. Intervene

2a: contact insecticide spray (pyrethrins, organic / or a pyrethroid like cypermethrin ) (use a spreader/sticker adjuvant to enhance residual effectiveness) for the entire canopy of infested trees. Not practical if you do not have a supercharged, telescopic wand, backpack sprayer like Fruitman invested in. Or can hire someone with a proper tank sprayer that can reach the tree tops. You can buy one at Sriyont in Chiang Mai, or ask them for a referral to someone with one of their sprayers who hires out.

2b. If not a food producing tree but ornamental: Soil drench for root uptake with a systemic insecticide. Imidacloprid is too slow for uptake to address an active infestation, but Starkle G with active ingredient of dinotefuran, will be taken up right away with adequate soil moisture.

If you want to ID the insect pest, you may find it in the book for which I am attaching a cover photo and some page examples.

There is absolutely no doubt this is a flying beetle, I have seen them many times at night, attached to and eating the leaves, oddly they then come under our front door where many die, yes, it's a beetle. And no the rains have come the problem seems to have gone away hence I've been unable to get a picture to post, rest assured however I will do so if they come back.