What's eating my clethra alnifolia?

Clethra alnifolia (summersweet) is mostly trouble-free but spider mites can cause stippled, dull foliage during dry summers, and Japanese beetles skeletonize leaves in the eastern US. Deer generally avoid it. Its preference for moist soil means it often escapes the drought stress that invites mite outbreaks — keep it well-watered.

Leaves develop dusty gray or bronze stippling; fine webbing visible on undersides in dry, hot periods. Increase irrigation and humidity around the plant; spray undersides with a strong jet of water or apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.

Foliage skeletonized between veins in midsummer; can be heavy in some eastern US regions. Hand-pick adults into soapy water; apply neem oil or spinosad if damage is severe. Remove adults early morning when they are sluggish.

Soft new shoot tips colonized; leaves curl and become sticky with honeydew. Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap. Natural predators usually suppress populations if broad-spectrum sprays are avoided.