Holes in new, unfurling Colocasia leaf

I have several varieties of Colocasia around my yard. I noticed recently that 2 different varieties on opposite sides of the yards have holes in some leaves as they unfurl. What type of insect or bug is inside the unfurled leaf chewing holes in it? I get so excited when a new leaf begins to grow and then so mad when it unfurls with holes in it. I don't see any caterpillars or bugs on the other leaves. Any idea what might be the culprit?

P.S. I am too lazy to take a pic right now but will suffer the southern heat if needed to diagnose the problem. Let me know!

I think I would sacrifice a leaf and unroll one early to see if you can find something.

I could do that. :)

Ya know, I've seen more earwigs in my gardens and on plants than in past summers. 2 other insects that I've come to get to know well, that were new to me this summer, are spittlebugs and leafhoppers. The spittlebugs have been seen on just about every plant I have outside, but the leafhoppers seems to mostly be seen on Alocasia and Colocasia. The spittlebugs left their lovely gob of spit on 2 plants: Cosmos and Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue'.

Do you think any of the above would have such an affect on the leaves?

Earwigs absolutely yes. They like feeding in hidden locations, and on soft tissues.
Spittle Bugs- less likely. As you have seen they are more common between the branches of the plant, not so much in the unfurling leaf, and you would sure see the spittle if they were on the Colocasia.
Leafhoppers- maybe, but I do not think so. There are many species of leaf hoppers. They tend to be somewhat host-specific. So if you are seeing them on something that is not related to Colocasia, then they are not likely to be causing it. They poke tiny holes in somewhat more mature foliage, and suck the juice. Damage is not so much holes with tissue missing, as stippling- fine yellow speckling where they sucked out the juice. I could see a leaf hopper sucking on a new bud, just starting to open, but even then I do not think the damage would show as an actual hole in the leaf.

You can try trapping all over the garden, see what you have and where. Many bugs (not just insects) feed at night and hide somewhere near the soil during the day. If you loosely roll up some newspaper and drop it here and there, especially near a plant with a problem, then some pests may move in after their night of feeding. Collect the rolls in the daylight and open them into a white bucket. Then you can see what you have trapped. And how many. If there is just one of something, then it is probably not enough to worry about.

I'm thinking earwigs are the issue here. As I mentioned before, I've seen many more this year the in the past. In fact, when I move the mulch around in the garden for one reason or another, earwigs are the only pest I ever see. I know they also feed on decaying matter and other bugs, but know they chew plants, too. I use snail & slug bait and haven't had a problem at all with them this year, so I doubt it is them. I find the occasional cicada shell on the underside of plant leaves from time to time; however never found one on the 2 Colocasia in question.

I wonder if the abundance of earwigs this year is due to the type of mulch I am using. This is only my 2nd year gardening and the 1st year I used the red Preen hardwood mulch. I expanded my gardens this year and it would be too costly to use Preen to cover the beds. Instead, I used Cypress Mulch & Pine Mulch.

And aside from some holes in new Colocasia leaves, the leaves of my Rudbeckia Goldsturm, and 1 New Guinea Impatiens have been gnawed on some, but not too bad. I will try some trapping this week and see what I find.

Thanks for helping, Diana.

Well, pretty much anything you do will have good and bad consequences, so to mulch or not, or the choice of materials is up to you.
It may be that earwigs do better with one sort of mulch compared to another, but here is another idea:
Prior to last year, was there any mulch or other significant hiding places? No? Probably a low population of earwigs.
Then last year you mulched, so more earwigs bred and survived, but maybe not enough to cause problems. Perhaps there was not quite enough food yet, or weather conditions were not just what they wanted.
Then this year, starting from a larger population and better food supply (last year's rotting mulch, new plants) they bred even faster and started becoming a problem.

So it is not the type of mulch, just the improved conditions overall.

Perhaps this year the predator population is on the upswing (based on a better food supply- more earwigs) and by next year will have the earwigs back under control!

I would continue using plenty of mulch, the benefits outweigh the problems by such a large factor!

Diana, I think the fact I have used more mulch this year is the reason for the increase in earwig populations. And since we don't get much rain during the summer, or enough to really make a difference, mulch is a necessity. What has helped curb the holes in unfurling leaves lately is that I have been spraying Neem Oil once a week around the base and stems of my Alocasia and Colocasia. I also spray newly emerging leaves at the same time, if there are any, that is :) Haven't had any holes in new leaves lately.

Neem oil can do wonders much of the time....most insects just dont like oily stuff!

I've been using Neem oil the past few weeks every few days due to thrips on my Colocasia and Caladium. It is so HARD spraying the tops and bottoms of the many Colocasia and Caladium I have. I do spray the outer potion of new leaves that haven't begun to unfurl, but don't see how that is going to make a difference if the hole chewing pest is inside the leaf. I still get one or two leaves here and there that unfurl with holes...not always on the same plant. Mostly, the chewed leaves are on the Colocasia, whether potted or in-ground, but this insect or whatever it is, recently found a home in a unfurled Alocasia leaf. I am thinking it might be a type of caterpillar.