Contact Us
University of California Cooperative Extension Ventura County
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100
Ventura, CA 93003
Phone: 805.645.1451
Fax: 805.645.1474
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The office will be closed for the following holidays:
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 28-29 - Thanksgiving Holiday
December 24-25 - Christmas Holiday
December 31 - January 1 - New Year Holiday
Leafcutter Bees
These are the little grayish-black bees that cut circular notches out of the leaves of your rose bushes, bougainvillea, and other plants. It seems that once they decide on a particular plant, they can almost defoliate it by their cutting activities. I have seen bougainvillea plants completely denuded of flowers by leafcutter bees. Since these insects are very useful as pollinators for many plants, I suggest sparing the spray if at all possible. On the other hand, if leaf removal becomes so severe that the life of the plant is threatened, a spray of insect repellent should discourage further leaf removal.