Are bugs picky eaters?

JoAnn

I posted this on another forum, I geuss no one there has ever noticed this before...

This summer I’ve noticed a strange observance concerning attacking insects. I have 5 bougainvillea I’ve been growing. Their just stock shrubs at the moment. I’ve just sprayed them today for the 3rd time this summer with a systemic insecticide. I’m not exactly sure what’s chewing on them but I do suspect some type of a larva of some sort. I keep finding the new growth at the tips chewed and today some webbing. I’m pretty sure its not spidermites to much rain and humidity here. The thing I find a little weird is that whatever is chewing on the plants only eats the bougainvillea with solid green leaves. Two of the bougainvillea are variegated and never get so much of a nibble. Is it possible the lack of chlorophyll in the leaves tastes bad to some insects?

Jo Ann

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Kitsune

I don't know what might be nibbling on your bougies, but I know that some insects *definately* have food preferences. For example, my japanese red maples get attacked long before my other varieties of japanese maples, and my variegated serissa get attacked before my non variegated varieties. And both of those get munched on before *anything* else does, just by different insects.

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"Learn about pines from the pines, and about bamboo from the bamboo." -Basho


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