Found this bugger while cleaning a container I had used for tomatoes. Matches the description
of an iris borer in the pupa stage. The container was near an iris bed but I have no idea of how
it migrated thru the moth/egg/borer/pupa stages unless, like me, they love tomatoes.
Another pic.
It is the pupae. Just squash them. Luckily I haven't found any so far, but the garden isn't weeded all the way as yet. too hot right now. but if you can get those, they won't be moths laying eggs.
I found one today! I should have known because I saw the notches in the leaf. He's squished to pieces but now I have
to really check on all of my Iris. It really is sad to have this 'varmit' anywhere near my Iris. I dug it up, trimmed the leaves, soaked it in 1-10 clorox water, rinsed and now is drying overnight. We shall see...:o(
Sha
Don't panic. They are completely harmless in this stage. The next phase is they will
molt into a moth which will lay eggs on old leaves and debris. The eggs hatch next
spring and form the "worm" borer. That is why all these iris growers preach sani-
tation. Clean the beds in the late fall and early spring as the ground thaws. After
a couple warm days the eggs hatch and the trouble begins. Of course, each one
you kill now may prevent a hundred eggs next spring.
Its too bad there isn't some form of poisonous nectar we could feed them after they hatch from this "deadly bullet" stage! I found a 4" inch borer the other day as round as my pinkie nail. I watched him wiggle for a while in the path but then he got his bearings and headed for the shelter of a nearby iris clump. I scooped him up and tossed him high in the air towards the street -- he landed with a splat! It was enjoyable to watch a few grackles (I think) fight over his remains.
1 down probably a few more remain! Next year Bayer and I are friends!!!!
Roni
Roni
I've found robins love them too. ;-)
Mit
;-)
The pupae are easy to squash--everyone is correct--one squashed pupa means fewer critters next yr.
Oldgardenrose....I forgot to thank you! I felt much better after reading your post, and then the others. That's one thing I really try to do is to keep everything clean around the plants. I now have discovered another 'notched' leaf but the plant looks great otherwise. Do you suppose I should dig it up?
S
Probably would not be a loss to dig it and check for a rotten rz. If it is a multiple fan
clump, just discard any damaged rz and give the others a bleach/water bath before
replanting. The one rotting rz can cause bacterial infection on the others.
I'm glad I listened to you! Thank you again! Of course I found it on my most expensive Iris, $50.00...this year marked down to $35.00. Island Pearl was a bonus Iris but it's been fun to point it out to friends/relatives. I let them believe I actually paid that much for about 10 seconds. I'm going to keep on checking! Those notches really are the clue.
A few years ago when I was using acephate which is a systemic, foliage applied
insecticide, when I would bleach freshly dug irises, I would see a tiny notch on the
edge of nearly every center leaf in every fan. The notches were small since the
acephate would kill the borer in its infancy and they could not get inside the leaf.
The bleach has a tendency to burn any cuts in a leaf so they were very visible.
You are correct in assuming an unexplained cut in the inner leaves is cause for
concern. Better to dig and lose the one bad rz than infesting the entire plot.
