Holes in my pohutukawa leaves
What is causing these tiny holes?
The leaves of my pohutukawa have hundreds of tiny holes in them – help!
We are always happy to help you to identify pests and disease in plants.
One of the most frequent queries we get is what causes these tiny holes in the leaves of pohutukawa. The damage is caused by a native insect, a leaf miner weevil, called Neomycta rubida. The larvae of this weevil eat new leaves and the beetle (the adult stage) makes the holes in the leaves. The good news is that the tiny holes do not seem to have any long-term impact on the health of pohutukawa. Some years seem better for the beetle than others, which gives pohutukawa a bit of a rest from the feeding of this busy beetle. Ensure your tree is as healthy as possible to help it recover. You can find out our tips for improving your tree health here.
If you want to find out more about this weevil (with plenty of photos for you to double check this is the leaf weevil) click here.