Mallow Sawfly, Hibiscus Sawfly

Like others, I hate this bug! It turns my beautiful Kopper King hibiscus into lace in a matter of days. I have tried the "Double digit insecticide" (squashing them between finger and thumb), but while it's gratifying, there's no end to them - they just keep coming. I tried insecticidal soap with no luck, so I, too, finally resorted to a systemic and I tried to use it just as the plant was leafing out in hopes it would stop the infestation early. This worked pretty well and allowed the plant to do really well through the flowering period, but the flies returned, although not as many.

3 yrs ago, I had never seen nor heard of sawflies here in MD. But for the past 2 summers, they devastated my hibiscus. They look like tiny, common house flies, with an orange/rust spot on the back. They swarm around the hibiscus all day most of June and into July, and they lay eggs on it. When offspring is born, they eat the leaves to lacey shreds, stunting its growth, and ruining chances of flowers. IF YOU SEE SAWFLIES AROUND YOUR BUSH, THEN YOU SHOULD ACT AGAINST THEM QUICKLY BEFORE THEY LAY EGGS.

Unfortunately I have not found an easy and environmentally friendly way to repel them. My organic spray does not affect these pests, and many brands don't either. Ortho systemic insecticide kills them, but I don’t want to harm beneficial insects nor the environment. My comp... read moreromise this yr was to hand spray Ortho, aiming at just the flies and trying to avoid flower buds and greenery. The flies swarmed in dozens around the bush, so it was easy to blast many at a time. Days later, more flies would return, so I spot sprayed often but sparingly, trying to avoid wetting most of the greenery and flower buds. A few exposed outer leaves got sprayed, because sawflies kept landing there, but most of the bush remained unaffected and healthy. By mid July, the pests were gone. I did all this just this current summer, and it was a lot of labor, whew! It now is August, and for the 1st time in 3 yrs, I finally have hibiscus blooms again.

Btw, I read healthy plants resist pests better than weak plants, so I will be adding compost and fish emulsion every season from now on. Good luck gardeners!

The larva go after my Hardy Hibiscus every year. They are a BIG problem. They completely annihilate the leaves. Makes for a pretty sad plant. I never had a problem with my tropical hybrids though. This is the first year that I saw the adult Sawfly. It wasn't until the BugFiles that I put the two of them together. As for a solution, would love to hear one. Please tell me how to get rid of them.