My bitter gourd plants were doing well and fruiting. Then the leaves of the bitter gourd plants started to change from the healthy green to those as shown below.
I knew this was not good but I didn't know what causes the leaves to become like this until I spotted the culprits as shown in the following photos.
These look like the Ladybird beetles but they are not. Ladybird beetles are friends of our garden. Upon checking closely, there were many of them feeding on my bitter gourd leaves.
Straight away, I cut down all my bitter gourd plants and removed them from my garden.
They not only feed on the leaves, they also feed on the bitter gourds.
Green bitter gourd damaged by the pests.
From now on, I will be on the lookout for these beetles.
Here is another pest that has been feasting on my plants. This one seems to like the taste of my hibiscus plants.
And look! It has been enjoying the hibiscus flower bud too!
Look what happened to the flower bud! Now I know who was behind all the damage to my hibiscus leaves and flowers.
So also the tongue is a small thing,
but what enormous damage it can do.
A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark.
(James 3:5, The Living Bible-TLB)
Aiyoh... at least now you know who is the culprit... hahaha
ReplyDeleteYes, finally found the culprits.
DeleteThanks for your sharing 😊
ReplyDeleteThank you and have a great day.
Delete...gardens and pests seem to go together!
ReplyDeleteYes, pest will go where the garden is.
DeleteI very scare of insects and pests that is why i can never have pants and a garden.
ReplyDeleteI love gardening so I have to bear with the pest.
DeleteI do had suffered same problems in past and then I sprayed with neem(Margosa) leaves oil that actually helped to get rid of these insects.It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to Gardening
ReplyDeletehere http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/10/garden-affair-succulents-world.html
Thank you, Arun for the invitation.
DeleteTo us they are pests. To then they are just finding a food source. Sometimes they can completely destroy a garden.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and week, Nancy. ♥
I will give my garden a rest and hopefully the pest will go elsewhere.
DeleteWe are all God's creatures. Hope you are able to keep them away from your plants
ReplyDeleteUsing natural ways. Do you plan to remove the red beetles by hand,picking them up and removing them from your plants?
DeleteI don't want to use chemicals on the pest. Hopefully they will go away.
DeleteFor the time being, I cut down all the plants infested by the pest. I will wait and give the garden a rest before planting again.
DeleteI was so impressed with your garden, and how sorry I am to see it like this.
ReplyDeleteI think I will rest my garden and hopefully the pest will go away.
DeleteOh dear. Those beetles certainly look like lady birds but they do not eat leaves, they voraciously consume plant-eating insects, such as aphids. Are you sure those beetles are mot eating whatever is attacking you plants? The grasshopper can do a lot of damage!! Have a good week, Diane
ReplyDeleteI searched the internet and confirmed that these beetles are pest. Have a good week too.
DeleteSe nota que los insectos han infectados las hojas de la planta de calabaza, dejándola en un lamentable estado.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Thank you and have a great day.
DeleteSorry about this...but at least you found out why..
ReplyDeleteI will just have to wait for some time before planting again.
DeleteThey have really sucked the life out of those leaves! I want to know what they are! Have you found out yet?
ReplyDeleteThey are a kind of beetles.
DeleteSuch a disappointment when pest get into the garden...same here sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI guess I will temporary stop planting in the garden.
Deleteoh no! how do you plan to remove them?
ReplyDeleteWill not be using chemicals. Will wait and see first.
Deletety for sharing 😊
ReplyDeletehave a nice day
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Thank you, Pandora.
DeleteOh no.... these tiny pests can wreak such havoc. All the effort wasted.
ReplyDeleteOrganic farming isn't easy.
Not easy. Once I removed the plants, the pest seemed to disappeared.
DeleteThis was so interesting for reading, but it crazy what they made to leafs and plants. But still these photos of leaf are so beautiful, nature no matter on situation find way to amazed me.
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Thank you and have a wonderful day.
DeletePest is unavoidable and a nuisance in the garden.
ReplyDeleteThese are part of the food cycle.
DeletePests are a pest and if you have a garden you have pests
ReplyDeleteSo true. You can't have one without the other.
DeleteThose fake ladybird beetles are here, too, and they are awful!
ReplyDeleteYes, awful because they are destroying our plants.
DeleteThank you, Francisco.
ReplyDeleteI ahve a problem with pests, too. Like you I try to avoid chemicals. Would love to know what you did to combat these pests.
ReplyDeleteIf I am diligent, I will cut off all the leaves affected to clear the pests or will spray water under all the leaves with pests. But these methods are only temporary measure. This time, I will let my garden rest a while before I start planting again.
DeleteMuy bonitas las fotografÃas. Besos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Teresa.
Delete