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What could be causing holes along the leaf edges of a lilac bush and how can this be stopped or prevented?
Last Updated: June 24, 2010
Leafcutter bees cut very characteristic notches out of various leaves. Favored plants are lilac, ash, rose, redbud, peach and a few others. The cutouts are semicircular and range from half-dime to half-silver-dollar size. A patient gardener may view a female leafcutter bee land on the leaf and quickly cut out a leaf section. These are taken to a nesting area and formed into rearing cells for young bees. Leafcutter bees are important pollinators of alfalfa and many native plants, so destroying the insects through use of insecticides is not recommended.
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