Question:

Small caterpillars or worms have completely devoured all of the leaves on one of my bushes (see photo below). What can I do to stop them and should the bush be removed?

Answer:

Those are the larvae of viburnum leaf beetles (VLB for short). VLB larvae typically appear in early to mid May and can cause significant damage to viburnum shrubs. Then the larvae will move down into the soil to pupate before they emerge as adults in late June – early July. Any treatment methods are targeted towards the larvae and adults.

If your viburnum was a healthy plant, it’s possible that it could recover and isn’t totally dead yet. However, if it’s been suffering through multiple years of VLB infestation and/or other stressors, then it could be declining and it might be best to replace it.

What are your options?

Keep the shrub, see if it recovers, and treat VLB eggs and larvae as indicated by our fact sheet linked below. If you do keep the shrub, I wouldn’t recommend digging up the soil (to try to find the pupae) around it as that can cause more stress or harm to the plant.

Replace the shrub with another viburnum but check out our fact sheet for varieties that are less susceptible to VLB damage.

Replace the shrub with something totally different.

Learn more:

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/art…/viburnum-leaf-beetle

Have a question of your own?

Reach out—we may feature it in an upcoming post!

You can reach Julie, your local horticulture educator by calling 262-741-4958, Text 262-374-4191, email julie.hill@wisc.edu or use our online form: go.wisc.edu/PlantQ