What has defoliated my blueberry bushes?

Fert1 · August 18, 2017

It was bad enough when something, (birds?), pulled off and ate all the blueberries from my bushes while the berries were still green, but now something has either eaten or removed all the leaves too. Any ideas what? Insects, birds, disease? I just can't have nice things! It's a fenced in yard, so the guilty party shouldn't be human or deer.

zeuspaul · August 19, 2017

Occasionally something eats all the leaves and stems of an apple, citrus, pepper or other. I have never caught them in the act. Secondary evidence points to rats , mice and squirrels.

swellcat · August 19, 2017

The ferret looks guilty.

Worth1 · August 20, 2017

Hipsters.

Worth

slugworth · August 20, 2017

jap beetles

Fert1 · August 20, 2017

Could be Japanese Beetles. We get a lot of them around here. whatever it was just removed the leaves, but removed 100% of them, like they were just plucked off rather than partially eaten leaves left.

August 18, 2017	#1
Fert1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Upstate SC, Zone 7 Posts: 543	What has defoliated my blueberry bushes? It was bad enough when something, (birds?), pulled off and ate all the blueberries from my bushes while the berries were still green, but now something has either eaten or removed all the leaves too. Any ideas what? Insects, birds, disease? I just can't have nice things! It's a fenced in yard, so the guilty party shouldn't be human or deer. __________________ Holly

August 20, 2017	#6
Fert1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Upstate SC, Zone 7 Posts: 543	Could be Japanese Beetles. We get a lot of them around here. whatever it was just removed the leaves, but removed 100% of them, like they were just plucked off rather than partially eaten leaves left. __________________ Holly

August 19, 2017	#2
zeuspaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: North County, San Diego Posts: 419	Occasionally something eats all the leaves and stems of an apple, citrus, pepper or other. I have never caught them in the act. Secondary evidence points to rats , mice and squirrels.

August 19, 2017	#3
swellcat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Cowtown, Texas – 7B/8A Posts: 192	The ferret looks guilty.

August 20, 2017	#4
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Hipsters. Worth

August 20, 2017	#5
slugworth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: connecticut,usa Posts: 1,152	jap beetles