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Hibiscus Sawfly

Atomacera decepta[4]

The hibiscus sawfly is a small sawfly whose green larvae feed in groups on hibiscus, hollyhock and mallow leaves.[1][2][3]

Group
Insect
Order
Hymenoptera
Family
Argidae
Sources
4 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Hibiscus sawfly adult, black with an orange thorax, on a leaf
Hibiscus sawfly adult, black with an orange thorax, on a leaf. Photo: Conway Hawn, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are tiny, less than 1/4 inch, black and fly-like with a reddish-brown to orange thorax.[1][3]
  • The spiny green larvae are less than 3/8 inch long when grown and feed on leaf undersides, so they are easy to overlook.[2][3]
  • Like other sawfly larvae they have six to eight pairs of prolegs, more than caterpillars.[2]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Columbine sawflyAnother sawfly of herbaceous perennials, feeding on columbine instead of mallows.[2]

Where it lives

Reported from North Carolina, Mississippi and Connecticut; larvae have been found from May to October.[1][2][3]

Biology and life cycle

Females insert eggs into leaves, usually near the tip; there are multiple generations a year.[3]

Mature larvae spin tough brownish cocoons, usually at the base of the host plant.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Larvae skeletonize leaves to a lacy network of veins and can completely defoliate plants.[1][2][3]
  • Dinner-plate rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) cultivars such as Luna and Lord and Lady Baltimore are very susceptible; rose of Sharon and tropical hibiscus are usually not attacked.[2][3]

Health risk

None to people or pets; sawflies don't sting.[2]

Control

Prevention

Check leaf undersides from late spring on; adults gathering on leaves warn that larvae will soon follow.[3]

Pesticides

Larvae are not hard to control with labeled landscape insecticides, but several sprays may be needed through summer; avoid spraying open blossoms to protect pollinators.[1][3]

Common questions

What is skeletonizing my hardy hibiscus?
Most likely hibiscus sawfly larvae feeding under the leaves.[1][2][3]
Which hibiscus does it attack?
Mostly dinner-plate rose mallow types; rose of Sharon and tropical hibiscus are usually spared.[2][3]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Hibiscus Sawfly (PDIC Factsheet).” content.ces.ncsu.edu/hibiscus-sawfly (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. UConn Integrated Pest Management Program, “Sawflies on Herbaceous Perennials (2020).” ipm.cahnr.uconn.edu/sawflies-on-herbaceous-perennials/ (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. Mississippi State University Extension, “Bug-Wise No. 7: Hibiscus Sawfly (May 3, 2004).” extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/newsletter/bw0704.pdf (accessed 2026-10-16)
  4. iNaturalist, “Atomacera decepta taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/130013 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.