Hello readers, My Kale plants are being "stripped to the bone" by some yet to be identified pest. The damage begins by small holes appearing in the leaves. The process continues so the leaf assumes a swiss cheese appearance and finally all non vein material is gone. This takes about 10-14 days total. My visual inspection has found only some small (1-2mm) white insects on the underside of the leaf. I have attached photos of the suspects in the hope of finding out if these are in fact the culprits or do I need look elsewhere. It is noteworthy that the number of these insects found seems to be far too small to account for the volume of damage done. Additional information: The location is Richmond CA. in (Sunset Garden Book) zone 17. Thanks for any help!
Ones on the left aphids. These are sucking the plant juices where they are standing on the leaf. The chewing will be something like cutworms or maybe slugs/snails. Go out with a flashlight at night to see if they are present at that time.
