What's eating my blue princess holly?

Blue Princess Holly is an Ilex x meserveae hybrid prized for its berries. Holly leafminer is the most damaging pest, while scale insects colonize stems and foliage. Spider mites can cause stippling in hot, dry spells. Birds, particularly thrushes and cedar waxwings, will eagerly eat the red berries in winter.

Yellow-brown blotch mines inside leaves visible from early summer; heavy infestations cause significant leaf drop Soil-applied imidacloprid in early spring before adult flies emerge; prune and discard heavily mined shoots

Grey-white encrusted bumps on stems and leaves; yellowing and sooty mold from honeydew Apply horticultural oil in late spring when crawlers are active; prune heavily infested stems back to clean wood

Fine stippling and faint webbing on leaf undersides during hot, dry summers Increase irrigation; spray forcefully with water to dislodge mites; apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil if severe

Berries stripped from the plant, often very rapidly in late winter when other food is scarce Berry removal by birds is generally considered beneficial wildlife habitat; use bird netting only if berry display is critical for ornamental purposes