I've got a small tree, about 2 meters high, in a pot. It has been getting
circular chunks, (4-6mm in diameter), cut out of its leaves, over the last 6
months. It is mid spring here, sub-tropical and coastal. I have not seen any
insects at work, but have heard that they do this sort of thing.

The tree is getting cut up pretty bad, almost to the point it is starting to
look unwell.

Any ideas would be welcome.

Cheers Pax

Commonly known as the saw-fly. Its grubs gather in big clusters on the
trees and are sometimes called "spitfires".
The grubs are black and ugly and have an orange tip. During the day the
group breaks up to feed but keep in contact with one another by tapping the
orange hard end on the branch.
Witt

In article ,
"Don Smith" wrote:

Commonly known as the saw-fly. Its grubs gather in big clusters on the
trees and are sometimes called "spitfires".

Really? IME spitfires are very obvious and tend to defoliate rather than cut
circles. I thought the leaf-cutting bee was a solitary native bee that used
the leaves for its nest. I would move a few other plants to the same area in
the hope that the bee will move on to them.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Jeez; if only those Ancient Greek storytellers had known about the astonishing
creature that is the *Usenet hydra*: you cut off one head, and *a stupider one*
grows back..." -- MJ, cam.misc

I thought the same. I had a colony of the things living in various holes in
a retaining wall at my last place. I think they were also called Australian
Blue Bee?

"Chookie" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Don Smith" wrote:

Commonly known as the saw-fly. Its grubs gather in big clusters on the
trees and are sometimes called "spitfires".

Really? IME spitfires are very obvious and tend to defoliate rather than
cut
circles. I thought the leaf-cutting bee was a solitary native bee that
used
the leaves for its nest. I would move a few other plants to the same area
in
the hope that the bee will move on to them.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Jeez; if only those Ancient Greek storytellers had known about the
astonishing
creature that is the *Usenet hydra*: you cut off one head, and *a stupider
one*
grows back..." -- MJ, cam.misc

Spitfires are eucalypt feeders,
http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/macleay/larvae/faqs/spit.html

the leafcutter bee is not
http://www.zeta.org.au/~anbrc/ab09.html

Have a read.
Jock

Thanks all.

I have also found info on 'introduced' leafcutting bees:
http://www.ento.csiro.au/research/pe...gaheadbees.pdf
http://birding.about.com/library/blb...le&terms=%2BBe
nefits%2B%2Bof%2B%2Btrees

Native:
http://faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=242
http://www.floraforfauna.com/downloa...ative_Bees.pdf

Cheers Pax

"Jock" wrote in message
...
Spitfires are eucalypt feeders,
http://www.usyd.edu.au/su/macleay/larvae/faqs/spit.html

the leafcutter bee is not
http://www.zeta.org.au/~anbrc/ab09.html

Have a read.
Jock

Thanks to all.
I found a few answers too.
http://www.ento.csiro.au/research/pe..._research.html
http://www.floraforfauna.com/downloa...ative_Bees.pdf
http://faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm?Fact_ID=242

Cheers Pax

"Wanda" wrote in message
...
I thought the same. I had a colony of the things living in various holes
in
a retaining wall at my last place. I think they were also called
Australian
Blue Bee?

"Chookie" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Don Smith" wrote:

Commonly known as the saw-fly. Its grubs gather in big clusters on
the
trees and are sometimes called "spitfires".

Really? IME spitfires are very obvious and tend to defoliate rather
than
cut
circles. I thought the leaf-cutting bee was a solitary native bee that
used
the leaves for its nest. I would move a few other plants to the same
area
in
the hope that the bee will move on to them.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Jeez; if only those Ancient Greek storytellers had known about the
astonishing
creature that is the *Usenet hydra*: you cut off one head, and *a
stupider
one*
grows back..." -- MJ, cam.misc