What kind of larvae are in this picture? I just discovered it today. Dogwood looked fine yesterday, but today walking by it, all the leaves are like lace. These larvae are all over it. What should I do to the larvae, and to the dogwood.
Dear Gardener,
With the help of Google image search, I got to the Iowa State University bug-guide website and it seems that your dogwood has been infested by Sawfly larvae: there are many species of sawfly, and many are host-specific. Here is another website with a detailed description of the dogwood sawfly and its larvae. I am delighted to reassure you that the Extension Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture says this will not be a major issue for your dogwood. They say that even if the dogwood sawfly larvae, (Macremphytus tarsatus), are eating some of its leaves, it will not impact the overall growth of the dogwood, and there’s a good chance that you will not even see it next year. They suggest that you pick the larvae off the tree. My suggestion is to use gloves since the white powdery material the larvae coat themselves with on their second molt sounds a bit off-putting, and throw them in a bucket of soapy water.
Happy gardening.