What’s eating my eggplants?

There are plenty of chewing insects doing the rounds over summer, and some of them have their eyes on eggplants. What’s the problem with that? A few nibbles are okay, but when there are more holes than leaf, the leaves will fail and the plants will struggle, so you’ll get fewer eggplants.

If your leaves are dotted with small holes, this species of flea beetle is the likely cause. Look closely to find these tiny insects, which have a dark blue metallic shine. Don’t be fooled by their size; they have a voracious appetite, and breed like fleas. They also jump like fleas when you try to catch and squash them.

And what about those cute ladybirds? If they are orange with 28 black spots (a rough count will do), they are also leaf chewers. Under the leaf, you’re likely to see their creamy-coloured larvae having a feast as well. That’s when you know you’re in real trouble. Squash what you can, or flick them into a small container of water to drown.

Next are grasshoppers, which appear in great numbers in summer, and have a taste for eggplant foliage, too. There’s nothing subtle about the way they feed either: they chew big chunks out of the leaves. The best time to catch them is in the morning when they are sleepy. If the thought of catching and squashing insects makes you squeamish, cover your plants with a finely woven pest-exclusion net. It’ll keep all these critters out.

Of course, the bees will be excluded, too. While bees do assist with pollination, eggplants are self-pollinating, so you should still get fruit. If production is poor, lift the net every few days and dab the centre of the flowers with a soft artist’s brush to pollinate them.

Header image by iStock

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