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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Digeroo on May 24, 2009, 10:06:31

Title: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: Digeroo on May 24, 2009, 10:06:31
Something is eating my courgettes and it is not a slug.  The leaves are full of very small holes like green lace.

I would suspect a green fly or three hundred but I can see nothing on the leaves.  Never had this in courgettes before.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Title: Re: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: PurpleHeather on May 24, 2009, 19:21:08
Flea beetle?
Title: Re: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on May 24, 2009, 21:04:15
What size are the plants?
Title: Re: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: gibbonm on May 24, 2009, 22:59:04
Slugs went for my courgette plants and the effect was to take away the green stuff and leave a lace like structure behind.
Title: Re: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: Deb P on May 25, 2009, 12:39:02
I agree, slugs and snails rasp at leaves and can leave a lacy effect. It pobably just had an interrupted meal! Hopefully by a bird that ate it.....

I put a ring of plastic bottle around the stem of all squashes when I plant them out, it helps prevent the slimies knawing through the main stem which means you lose your whole plant.... :-\
Title: Re: Courgettes being eaten
Post by: Digeroo on May 27, 2009, 11:44:26
Sorry for not getting back, lost the thread. 

Oh no it is definitely not slugs.  Lost a lot of things in my time to slugs.  Firstly they a visible in the dark.  If they get in the boxes of seedling sooner or later I will track them down.

Some of them are large plants.  I think it may be ants.  There are a lot of red ants about this year in my garden.  Though I did not know ants ate courgette leaves.

Flea beetle when do they eat the plants.  Cannot see anything.  The results look a bit like greenfly but no fly green or otherwise.