Plant Doctor Archive

My succulents are being eaten

Question ALL our succulents that we have in one garden or in pots are being eaten. The other area has not been touched. At one stage we found some small ‘bronze beetles’ that didn’t respond to spraying. We had a short respite and they are now being eaten again. The plants in pots seem to be worse.

Answer SLUGS and snails are the likely culprits. I am not aware of the Bronze Beetle affecting succulents — I know they love roses, new shoots and developing fruit.

A systemic insecticide such as Orthene would control the beetle, but it is likely to disappear on its own accord as quickly as it appeared. Try applying slug bait around your succulents. If you are worried about animals or bird life being affected, use Quash. Otherwise Blitzem, Baysol or Slug Slam will do the trick.

Placing a mulch of fine gravel or crushed shell around your succulents may also work in keeping slugs and snails at bay.