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Yet another elm beetle

What is it about siberian elm leaves that make them tasty to so many insects. The brittle nature of the tree is problematic enough. But then there's the elm leaf miner in early spring that routinely results in bushels of dried up leaves on the ground in May. This is followed in the summer by the elm leaf beetle that, in some years, will result in complete defoliation. Fortunately that insect has been largely at bay for the past decade.

Several years ago GreenStreet received a number of calls in June about leaves dropping from siberian elms -- too late for the miner and too early for the beetle.

What we found were tiny flea-like beetles eating numerous small roundish holes in the leaf tissue. The heavily damaged leaves were then cast from the tree. It is doubtful this is a serious threat to this not-so-beloved weedy tree species -- just another mess for the beleagered home-owner.

Entomologists at Michigan State University have identified the new pest as a species of flea-weevil of the genus Rhynchaenus.

generic
flea-weevil