A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Something eating my hibiscus

I have two hardy plate-type hibiscus plants, one red and the other white. They are about 3 1/2 ft.
apart, separated by a wooden walkway. Last year they both bloomed simultaneously, but this year the red plant was noticeably smaller than the white, and is just now coming into bloom. The white has been flowering for weeks. After having been on the run for the past few weeks, I happened to notice this morning that something is really devouring the red one (that seemed less healthy to begin with). The white is untouched so far. When I say devouring, I mean almost all the leaves, particularly at the top, are now nothing but veins! They look like lace. I saw nothing on the plant, but then, it was early morning. Also, the flowers and buds are untouched. Any ideas what I'm up against?

Check this site out. It's specifically about insects that affect "Red Hibiscus"

Red Hibiscus Bugs

Hope this helps!

Karen

Karen, Thanks for the info. It helped me to eliminate a lot of insect categories. I think it's a caterpillar, but I've got to catch it in action to know what kind it is. I've learned that this is called skeletonizing the leaves. I think I'd heard the term before, but must have forgotten it. I hate spraying insecticides, but with this kind of damage, I don't want to risk losing the plant. I've read that Japanese Beetles skeletonize too, but they seem to also like the flowers, and mine are untouched.

Just an update on my problem. I found very tiny caterpillars, yellowish-green. They're difficult to spot on the leaves, but at this stage of development they squish easily. Since I cleaned out the initial infestation, I have only had a couple stragglers.

Glad you found out what the little culprit was.
I have 7 hibiscus plants and that link you gave Karen is great for reference!

Glad you found put what the problem was

I have been able to purchase lady bugs on line fairly inexpensively and they do a great job of keeping my double hibiscus reasonably pest free. However, every year around September I get field crickets eating the buds and then the result is flowers with holes in them! How do I get rid of field crickets???

Thanks