What's eating my cauliflowers?

[Martin H]

These have been stood out on my garden table in preparation for planting out on the allotment. Something's been having a real good go at them, but I can't see any actual pests. Any thoughts?



Whatever it is has been going after my wallflower seedlings on the same table, too...

[Bren In Pots]

I'd guess at slugs

[lottie dolly]

I to have had plants look like that,and under a net cover,if it were slugs/snails,they usually leave some slime about,does not look like birds,have a close look under the leaves,and in the very centre of the plants with a maggy glass,another thought a sort of flea beetle,

[Martin H]

OK I've been out there and had a good look. There's lots of these little fellers on the caulis and the wallflowers:





They are tiny, about 2 mm long, but they don't look like gurgle images of fleabeetles and anyway they don't jump they fly.

Any entomologists about?

[Penellype]

I agree it doesn't look like a flea beetle at all. The L shaped antennae make me think its some sort of weevil (of which there are huge number of different species). Its similar to but not the same as the cabbage stem weevil AgroAtlas - Pests - Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus (Marsh.). - Cabbage Stem Weevil. - not certain that these particular ones appear in the UK though.

[Greenleaves]

I does look very weevil like. As to which I cant help. Perhaps if you can remove the critters and cover with enviromesh?

[Two_Sheds]

Cabbage Stem Weevil - Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus | NatureSpot

isn't it?

[Martin H]

Cabbage Stem Weevil - Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus | NatureSpot

isn't it?

Well it looks like the right insect ... but the damage doesn't match. Maybe I have two critters at work... the Stem Weevil and something else such as the Flea Beetle. Sigh...

[Two_Sheds]

the damage doesn't match. ..

Well my first thought was snails and snails, esp. baby ones

They spend a lot of time eating their way out from inside tightly furled leaves of brassicas, not coming outside where the slug pellets are.
It's always worth checking through the foliage if you notice holes