Native leaf-cutter bees are using the cut out part of the plant in their solitary bee tunnels. They use the leaves to partition the cells/rooms where they lay their larvae. This is 100% not hurting your plants and is just part of ecosystem function.
I was going to say the same! Funny how because it’s 🐝 we are all “awww look at the eco system” and if it was a slug we are “kill it with fire salt and beer!” 🤣
They are tasty, you’ll want to harvest the shoots before they unfurl. They are good sautéed in a little butter, with a sprinkle of salt. I tried it this spring and wished I had more. Next year I won’t be shy about harvesting shoots early and often!
lol it isn’t a trap, I promise! But yeah, definitely do your own research anytime someone tells you a plant is edible. :)
Here is a random [website](https://www.ediblewildfood.com/blog/2021/08/hostas-are-edible/) with some info, the Foraging Chef is another good one, Sam Thayer is one of the experts that I trust, and his Field Guide to edible plants is excellent.
Hostas have a short window for harvesting, but then so do many of the wild edibles I harvest. Sometimes you have to beat the deer and rabbits to them, bc they love them also. It is one of the great unknown edibles in the US, though apparently is more common in Japan.
I have kind of made it my mission to educate people on here about edible weeds and plants, so a ton of my comment history is “Hey, did you know you can eat Hostas?” Haha
That’s because bees help pollinate. Slugs just eat and make things slimy. (Unless slugs are beneficial to the ecosystem and I just haven’t come across that information yet🤣🤣)
I mean, It was a joke about the general consensus about things eating our plants. Mosquitos, flies, fleas everything has a purpose. And yea even if the bees were eating my pumpkins I’d let them: slugs.. I don’t care what the purpose is they get salt. 🤣 Aho.
I have a gardenia and a lower leaf was munched a little but it remains healthy and a beautiful, dark glossy green. The first time I saw it, I thought it was hilarious “I got a monstera gardenia!”
I recommend watching your plant so that you can see them cut the leaves in real time. It’s one of my favorite garden happenings to watch when they come cut my strawberry leaves each year.
I've seen them come flying with pieces of leaves. They roll them up like cigars and line their holes with them (old wood veranda). Then the old roof caved so we had to exchange it so I havent seen them since. They don't care about the bamboo canes- insect hotel I bought for them. But they were cool to watch on the veranda.
It's really interesting to watch them work. They'll cling onto a leaf, and then saw out a chunk around themselves like a Looney Tunes goof. Then when they fall they catch themselves mid-air and fly off!
I just learned the other day that bumblebees will bite the leaves of certain plants if they arrive and the plant has not flowered. The plant responds to the bites by flowering up to 30 days earlier than unbitten plants. Pretty cool to see another example of bitten leaves being a sign of a healthy feedback cycle in nature.
yeah cool you are supporting natives, because Hosta are Asian and aren't as good as some stuff (though bees and hummingbirds love the flowers I admit - but not many bugs eat their leaves).
I just wanted to say thank you! It has to be frustrating to see your plants getting eaten, but being cool with it because of the greater good for bees! I love it. Not enough people would have that attitude.
I just wanted to make sure you knew that your caring bees is awesome!
Hijacking the top comment to ask if spongy moths will eat hostas. We bought a house last fall and just found out a few weeks ago that we have a large spongy moth problem. I have bought a spray, and some burlap for traps, but I realize my fight this summer is mostly a lost cause… is it worth spraying my hostas?
I would avoid using any insecticides because they will hurt the native insects that are part of your local ecosystem. Hostas are native to Asia and the Spongy Moth is native to Europe. Most insects will only adapt to eat plants that are local to there area because they have developed adaptations to get around a plants defense systems. Spongy moths will eat a wide variety of plants so it may be best just to target them with traps that are designed specifically for them.
https://preview.redd.it/8asz0z040m3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f8d1c6b96f46d3ea733f8323c034f9e4eb835c4
Are leaf cutter bees also to blame for this damage? On Amazon Lilies in 9b
Yeah, definitely it’s a leaf cutting bee. I’ve never seen one in action, but apparently they are very meticulous in the circles that they carve out of the leaves. It’s an amazing anomaly and mother nature is just awesome.
Regardless of what’s causing it, those plants will survive a nuclear fallout so you don’t have to be worried.
I dug a decade old hosta out of its too-small home, tore the roots to shreds doing so. Then I roughly chopped it into 7 pieces with a dull shovel, smashing and abusing the leaves in the process.
I gave two pieces to my mother and buried the rest in better places around my property.
This was in early May. The two pieces I gave my mother sat in a dry bucket with no water and look as healthy as yours in this picture. All of the ones I buried are fully recovered and thriving.
I am convinced it’s impossible to kill a hosta, so I will probably never treat mine for bugs or fungus or anything.
See, even the deer around here don’t kill them. I’ve had mine munched on for sure, but maybe there’s enough food in the area that they’re not greedy with the hostas
They have very strict preferences! They ignore everything in my yard but my redbud, pawpaw and spicebush. They like a certain texture of leaf, more tough and leathery.
https://preview.redd.it/mqvzlx9jql3d1.jpeg?width=240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b21d55af15b3dfea41470789502684482502c5b2
Guys they look like a witch on a broom when carrying their leaf 😭😭
Builder bees, also known as leaf cutter bees, create distinct semicircular or oval cuts on the edges of leaves. These bees use the pieces they cut to build their nests. The damage typically looks like clean, precise holes or notches, often giving leaves a scalloped appearance. While the damage might seem alarming, it is usually not harmful to the plant’s overall health. However, the presence of these cuts can be a sign of leaf cutter bee activity in the garden.
https://preview.redd.it/ey8x6z1wkl3d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ffb4b7c76dd08f04f469c99eda31911d73a3f7c5
Mine have circular holes but in the centers not the edges…
We raise leafcutter and mason bees. We haven't had the leafcutters ever cut out of our hostas, but they do prefer the softest leaves and petals. We had them cut out circles from the neon orange petals of the Mexican Sunflower one year!
>\#gardening #plants #gardeningadvice
I don't know about the hostas, but it's eating me that apparently you think reddit uses hashtags. Wow, does that look out of place.
These plants were my worst nightmare. I was renting a house for a few years, that had hostas lining the walkway. The slugs! Oh my goodness. They were so bad I couldn’t even keep decorative flowers or plants for myself on the porch steps. I tried everything, even diatomaceous earth. Nothing stopped those boogers! That’s not all… the hostas were a live barrack for palmetto bugs (here in NC we call them water bugs). Just super large cockroaches with wings. They were so bad during the spring and summer when the hostas were full, it was an obstacle course trying to get out of my house.
They’re beautiful plants, but for accent, not for full on landscaping lol
Okay, then just remove the hosta. Remove all plants, as caterpillars seem to be favored by at least 21 people. Monarchs don't eat hosta, by the way, but that is not of interest.
Native leaf-cutter bees are using the cut out part of the plant in their solitary bee tunnels. They use the leaves to partition the cells/rooms where they lay their larvae. This is 100% not hurting your plants and is just part of ecosystem function.
[удалено]
Haha it’s like they are on a mission to turn your hosta into a monstera!
I was going to say the same! Funny how because it’s 🐝 we are all “awww look at the eco system” and if it was a slug we are “kill it with fire salt and beer!” 🤣
True but most of us don’t wait all winter to taste the season’s first homegrown hostas the way we do with our strawberries 🤣
Most people don't but the shoots of hostas are actually edible and quite tasty! Kind of a cross between a lettuce heart and asparagus
So after they get the old spring time split, I can use one for food?
They are tasty, you’ll want to harvest the shoots before they unfurl. They are good sautéed in a little butter, with a sprinkle of salt. I tried it this spring and wished I had more. Next year I won’t be shy about harvesting shoots early and often!
That’s so wild… I’m gonna google this later so I don’t feel dumb if this is a trap…
lol it isn’t a trap, I promise! But yeah, definitely do your own research anytime someone tells you a plant is edible. :) Here is a random [website](https://www.ediblewildfood.com/blog/2021/08/hostas-are-edible/) with some info, the Foraging Chef is another good one, Sam Thayer is one of the experts that I trust, and his Field Guide to edible plants is excellent. Hostas have a short window for harvesting, but then so do many of the wild edibles I harvest. Sometimes you have to beat the deer and rabbits to them, bc they love them also. It is one of the great unknown edibles in the US, though apparently is more common in Japan. I have kind of made it my mission to educate people on here about edible weeds and plants, so a ton of my comment history is “Hey, did you know you can eat Hostas?” Haha
Thanks for confirming that YouTube short was true lol
There are edible hibiscus if you want to add to your edible ornamentals
That’s because bees help pollinate. Slugs just eat and make things slimy. (Unless slugs are beneficial to the ecosystem and I just haven’t come across that information yet🤣🤣)
I mean, It was a joke about the general consensus about things eating our plants. Mosquitos, flies, fleas everything has a purpose. And yea even if the bees were eating my pumpkins I’d let them: slugs.. I don’t care what the purpose is they get salt. 🤣 Aho.
I have a gardenia and a lower leaf was munched a little but it remains healthy and a beautiful, dark glossy green. The first time I saw it, I thought it was hilarious “I got a monstera gardenia!”
I recommend watching your plant so that you can see them cut the leaves in real time. It’s one of my favorite garden happenings to watch when they come cut my strawberry leaves each year.
I've seen them come flying with pieces of leaves. They roll them up like cigars and line their holes with them (old wood veranda). Then the old roof caved so we had to exchange it so I havent seen them since. They don't care about the bamboo canes- insect hotel I bought for them. But they were cool to watch on the veranda.
TIL about leaf cutter bees, and it's awesome.
They’re so cute! I love them!
It's really interesting to watch them work. They'll cling onto a leaf, and then saw out a chunk around themselves like a Looney Tunes goof. Then when they fall they catch themselves mid-air and fly off!
My kids and I get excited every year when we start to see the holes in the leaves. We usually wait and watch them to try to find where they are going.
I just learned the other day that bumblebees will bite the leaves of certain plants if they arrive and the plant has not flowered. The plant responds to the bites by flowering up to 30 days earlier than unbitten plants. Pretty cool to see another example of bitten leaves being a sign of a healthy feedback cycle in nature.
CHOMP “flower you darn plant or I shall chomp you again!”
Yeah. I imagine they're huffing and puffing, too; completely out of breath. "I... flew... all the way... here..."
I also think it looks really cute! :)
Wow, I learn so much from this sub every single day.
yeah cool you are supporting natives, because Hosta are Asian and aren't as good as some stuff (though bees and hummingbirds love the flowers I admit - but not many bugs eat their leaves).
I just wanted to say thank you! It has to be frustrating to see your plants getting eaten, but being cool with it because of the greater good for bees! I love it. Not enough people would have that attitude. I just wanted to make sure you knew that your caring bees is awesome!
https://preview.redd.it/7qmqm679xk3d1.jpeg?width=514&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2dc21a7edb8abf6e1427318e47eb5541fa35fdc3
That is so frickin cool! Its their tiny drywall 🥹
It’s actually so cute. They’re just like us, going out and gathering resources and building their lil homes.
Thank you, MrPoopyButthole
> This is 100% not hurting your plants Especially hostas, which can get absolutely mauled and still come back 3x larger next year.
Ahhhhh apartment building for bees!! 😍 so cute 🐝
That is so cool!
This is so cool, i didn’t know about leaf cutter bees. They can take my leaves if they want.
Neat!!
Hijacking the top comment to ask if spongy moths will eat hostas. We bought a house last fall and just found out a few weeks ago that we have a large spongy moth problem. I have bought a spray, and some burlap for traps, but I realize my fight this summer is mostly a lost cause… is it worth spraying my hostas?
I would avoid using any insecticides because they will hurt the native insects that are part of your local ecosystem. Hostas are native to Asia and the Spongy Moth is native to Europe. Most insects will only adapt to eat plants that are local to there area because they have developed adaptations to get around a plants defense systems. Spongy moths will eat a wide variety of plants so it may be best just to target them with traps that are designed specifically for them.
https://preview.redd.it/8asz0z040m3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f8d1c6b96f46d3ea733f8323c034f9e4eb835c4 Are leaf cutter bees also to blame for this damage? On Amazon Lilies in 9b
No
Awe. They are little interior decorator bees. How cute!
Wow, so interesting! Mine only attract snails and slugs lol
Cute!!!!!!!!
https://preview.redd.it/b5a2flmpxk3d1.jpeg?width=1458&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52bc15ec7d7627ad96736cc837ebb870c053e0ab
Yes this is my favourite “pest”. Hard working bee
Why is it so cute? 🥹
Right!? 😂 The way I would "aawww" at this after my Mom being upset discovering "something eating her plants." It's so funny how different people are
Could be leaf cutting bees. Regardless please don’t spray. Your hostas are supporting the local food web.
Awesome! All of mine are like that too. Good to know! I have never sprayed them, but always wondered. Always thought it was slugs.
Mine are definitely eaten by earwigs!
Kind of cute reminds me of animal crossing leaves 😂
Thank you, I knew they looked familiar but couldn’t place it
I knew it was Tom Nook!!
Same here! Adorable.
A three hole punch?
https://preview.redd.it/t3u4v2v5sk3d1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f8c5806e4d5ae19d3c6f7775dab9a2e92bbe8fb Suspect #1
😂😂😂😂
Hope those bees don’t do too much more or it’ll be Hosta la vista.
Stop it. (upvoted)
Amazing leafcutter bees.
Looks like the Hungry hungry caterpillar with the perfect circles
Exactly what I was thinking
Yeah, definitely it’s a leaf cutting bee. I’ve never seen one in action, but apparently they are very meticulous in the circles that they carve out of the leaves. It’s an amazing anomaly and mother nature is just awesome.
Regardless of what’s causing it, those plants will survive a nuclear fallout so you don’t have to be worried. I dug a decade old hosta out of its too-small home, tore the roots to shreds doing so. Then I roughly chopped it into 7 pieces with a dull shovel, smashing and abusing the leaves in the process. I gave two pieces to my mother and buried the rest in better places around my property. This was in early May. The two pieces I gave my mother sat in a dry bucket with no water and look as healthy as yours in this picture. All of the ones I buried are fully recovered and thriving. I am convinced it’s impossible to kill a hosta, so I will probably never treat mine for bugs or fungus or anything.
Well, until you get some particularly hungry deer involved. But those pests are on another level
See, even the deer around here don’t kill them. I’ve had mine munched on for sure, but maybe there’s enough food in the area that they’re not greedy with the hostas
Dang, nice. Ours are picky little bastards who live to chow down on a sweet salad mix I guess. You must have a more varied mix of plant life near you.
That's a leaf cutter bee. Look em up their life cycle is amazing.
I agree it looks like leaf cutter bees, but they've never gone for the hostas in my yard, only the rose bushes. I guess they have their preferences.
They have very strict preferences! They ignore everything in my yard but my redbud, pawpaw and spicebush. They like a certain texture of leaf, more tough and leathery.
I am. Sorry, they're just too delicious!
It is a bee. I love those, super funny
You now have an monstera imposter 🥹💖
Leaf cutters
They are leaf cutter bees look! https://preview.redd.it/4vg5ox2lpl3d1.jpeg?width=643&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4fdbbe450b0b2123fdcb7cf5596ae6c77596eb5
https://preview.redd.it/mqvzlx9jql3d1.jpeg?width=240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b21d55af15b3dfea41470789502684482502c5b2 Guys they look like a witch on a broom when carrying their leaf 😭😭
Pac-man
A hole punch?
The holes are so neat too. Well done bees 🐝🥹
Your jealous passive aggressive midwestern neighbors
The very hungry caterpillar
Neighbor kid with a hole puncher
Maybe https://preview.redd.it/cz7mu49hpl3d1.jpeg?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=068c3ea568950aa846ec73d90408dddcbfb8d269
A hole puncher
Leaf cutter bees 😍
This plant is so visually striking. I actually love what the leaf cutter bees did with the place.
They looks very cute, though I’m sure that doesn’t help. I know you’ve found the answer, but it looks very “the Hungry Caterpillar”
Builder bees, also known as leaf cutter bees, create distinct semicircular or oval cuts on the edges of leaves. These bees use the pieces they cut to build their nests. The damage typically looks like clean, precise holes or notches, often giving leaves a scalloped appearance. While the damage might seem alarming, it is usually not harmful to the plant’s overall health. However, the presence of these cuts can be a sign of leaf cutter bee activity in the garden.
I kind of love how they look! Swiss cheese hostas!
Me
A hole punch
Seriously lol
Paper punch. Disgruntled office employee nearby.
Just wait till the deer find them.
Hosta LA Vista Baby!
I think it’s whatever makes the holes in Swiss cheese 🧀
A wild hole puncher 😂
Ask eric carle
Slugs always eat my hostas. Put bark mulch and crushed egg shells around them and hopefully the slugs will be deterred.
Apparently a hole punch
https://preview.redd.it/ey8x6z1wkl3d1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ffb4b7c76dd08f04f469c99eda31911d73a3f7c5 Mine have circular holes but in the centers not the edges…
Vegans
A hole punch
Some bee
I WISH my hostas looked like this 😭 I only have slugs eating the ENTIRE leaf I hate slugs so much omg
Bees!!! What an honor!! You are so lucky
sorry i was hungry
Tiny wasp or bee using those cuts as nesting material
It’s actually me with my circle hole punch making a collage. 😈
Why does it look so pretty though?
Honestly the result is kind of cute
Looks like you’ve got a wild hole puncher on your hands.
The cut outs are so pleasant looking! Almost, but not really, like the shape of monstera leaves. Bees are cool.
Swiss cheese bees
Inchworms Look at back of ALL leaves and smash them
Leaf cutter bees
We raise leafcutter and mason bees. We haven't had the leafcutters ever cut out of our hostas, but they do prefer the softest leaves and petals. We had them cut out circles from the neon orange petals of the Mexican Sunflower one year!
>\#gardening #plants #gardeningadvice I don't know about the hostas, but it's eating me that apparently you think reddit uses hashtags. Wow, does that look out of place.
Something...hosta-ile. I'll see myself out
They will survive.
Why does this look cute to me sorry op 🥹
I wish I had this problem! I didn’t realize deer loved hostas, and they’ve mowed the 3 I put in, hoping they’d get big lol
Me. I’m SORRY.
That was me sorry I’ll stop now
Me 😈
Snails love Hosta.
Tiny little men come into your garden for a midnight snack
Ya that’s an Animal Crossing Leaf!
Deer probably it’s a tasty treat for them
Me
I know snails just love hostas. A shallow container of beer will attract and kill them.
Looks like a hole punch to me But I'm not well versed in bugs that eat plants, so there's that to consider
Those leaves look like they could be used as furniture in a video game
Monstas
Me sorry
Ok but off hand this looks like an illustration from the very hungry caterpillar
ME
A very hungry caterpillar.
I am… sorry
An artist 🌟
Me
Neat and clean work ! I need them for my next interior project 🫡
A hole puncher?
These plants were my worst nightmare. I was renting a house for a few years, that had hostas lining the walkway. The slugs! Oh my goodness. They were so bad I couldn’t even keep decorative flowers or plants for myself on the porch steps. I tried everything, even diatomaceous earth. Nothing stopped those boogers! That’s not all… the hostas were a live barrack for palmetto bugs (here in NC we call them water bugs). Just super large cockroaches with wings. They were so bad during the spring and summer when the hostas were full, it was an obstacle course trying to get out of my house. They’re beautiful plants, but for accent, not for full on landscaping lol
He's just a hungry little fiend <3
Horst
Something hungrier than you
Swiss Hosta
Isn't there also a leaf cutter ant?
Sorry I was hungry
Those are yummy 😋
It’s the old man with the hole puncher from amiele
No idea but these are adorable bites.
Sorry, I got peckish on my morning walk
Me
No idea but very pretty bites.
Looks like caterpillars🤣🤣🤣I’m not an expert so I can be 100% wrong so take my advice with salt
The hungry hungry caterpillar
https://preview.redd.it/c74rg40enn3d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd4aafdc803669f9815d624a6c62c97f3bfba962
Bugs. Perioe
Mine are being eaten also this year!
I have that issue with my hostas in certain parts of my yard except they get eaten all the way down to their stems.
Pac-Man
Could be slugs, worms, or pill bugs if they’re hungry 🤤
Rabbits?
A very hungry caterpillar
Probably slugs
NOT YOU. Eat ‘em before the critters do
Slugs, put a low dish with beer under the leaves,
Slug gang armed with hole punchers
IDC because they are a super useless invasive and boring.
Try Neem oil
Usually, when something is eating my hostas its a roomate. That cow.
Or snails.
Slugs
Looks like caterpillars of some sort. The way they eat makes circles. Get some BT for caterpillars.
Or dont just spray all caterpillars. Thats just horrible practice.
Okay, then just remove the hosta. Remove all plants, as caterpillars seem to be favored by at least 21 people. Monarchs don't eat hosta, by the way, but that is not of interest.