HELP,Leaf eating detectives needed

[carni 10,094]

Being a non gardener,can any one tell me what is eating the leaves of my Dahlias and Livingstone Daisies, they have nearly munched the lot,I can't see any slug trails, the plants are in tubs,we do get the odd pigeons in the garden,could they be the culprits,any tips for me.

[alisoncc 379]

If you pull one of the plants out of the pot, you will most likely find that there are some funny curled up crawly things that spend their days hiding in the soil. Used to know their names, but in my senior moments cannot remember what they are called. They are bit like centipedes but different.

[carni 10,094]

Aha,So it looks like the little monsters might already be there and not creeping in the garden in the night,we will investigate,thank you. PS,don't worry about the senior moments,we have many, all day long.

[fch782c 144]

Ive just asked a friend and dont know how true it is but they suggested it maybe earwigs

[carni 10,094]

fch782c,

Thank you for your tips,my hubby is now earwig hunting as we speak, if there is any more damage done by tomorrow we are going to buy another bag of potting compost and reset them,

[fch782c 144]

Ive just been told one of the easiest ways of gettng rid of earwigs is to place a shallow dish of vegetable oil amongst the plants which will atract the earwigs and they climb in the dish to get to the oil and drown. Worth a try

[Compo 10,328]

The damage appears to be straight cuts. Earwigs usually make indentations in leaves like little bays or coves on a beach. May be pigeons. The little curly things sound like Vine Weevil larvae. They eat roots. The adult eats leaves but again, usually takes bites out of them. Can you see tiny brown caterpillars on any of the damaged plants? Please post a picture of the Dahlias for a better idea.

Vine weevils are easily identified. They are large, grey and like little rocks, with a swivelly head.

Vine weevil:

[source: Alys Fowler]

1cm or so long, curled into a half moon, a brilliant white in colour with a brown head. As they mature, they have distinct legs, held folded to their body. Close up, they are the stuff of nightmares; ghostly, unappealing… and then, with a swift squeeze, gone. That or you round them up and put them on a saucer as a snack for birds, toads, frogs and hedgehogs.

You know if you have vine weevil because healthy plants decline, leaves droop and turn red under stress, and new growth no longer appears in spring. Deep below the surface, white grubs are eating the young roots, boring into tubers of cyclamen and begonias, eating the woody parts of mature specimens.

Blueberries, strawberries, heucheras, sedum, rhododendrons, Chinese artichokes – hell, they've been through most of the plants on my patio. They love a container garden, the pot being a warm and moist spot with plenty of food.

The adult vine weevil is dull black with a pear-shaped body. It haunts shady spots, moving about mostly at night, nibbling irregular notches out of leaf edges. The adult's body is tough and takes quite something to pop. A friend uses scissors, because they have a habit of playing dead – one snip and off with their head.

Adult:

Grub:

[carni 10,094]

I have had a good look at the leaves on both flowers and no sign of little brown catterpillers or any beatles,the livingstone daisy pictured in #1 looks like the end are taken of in a straight line but the dahlias have as you discribe like little bays munched away and look like they will slowly get devoured until they have gone,i cannot put a picture on as my little lead from camera and phone has disappeared again sorry.

[Compo 10,328]

Sounds like earwigs, but you could lay a few slug pellets to hedge your bets. If it is slugs you will see the trail when they have eaten the pellets. Odds on slugs or earwigs.