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Any idea what ails my bamboos? Could this be the dreaded BamV?
It has gotten to my Oldhamii (pictured), Vittata, Wamin, and now perhaps my Dendro Minor Amoenus.

Google bamboo mite damage and see what you think, it looks pretty spot on to me. No pun intended...

needmore wrote:Google bamboo mite damage and see what you think, it looks pretty spot on to me. No pun intended...

Hmmm, yes it does, although some pictures of BaMV look like that as well. I would have expected the underside of a mite infested leaf to have more of that webbing/tenting stuff on the back. These leaves, do seem to have something, unless those mites are much much smaller than I expect?

Thanks for your input, I have a small plant thus infected, perhaps I can treat that for mites and see if it clears, if so, then it might be mites .

I'm not sure, I've never seen BamV but I have seen mites and that looks similar. The mites I had did not seem to have much webbing but there was some for sure on the undersides so maybe it is BamV?

I am confident that those are mites. I have seen both mites and mosaic virus on Bambusa plants.

The "webbing" really looks to me like a very thin layer of plastic covering the colony. Use a hand lens, and look at the back of every leaf until you find a colony with the webbing intact. This will be confirmation. I believe I see webbing in your photograph, but an extreme closeup would help, if you could get one. In many cases, old colonies no longer have webbing, so you may have to search a number of leaves. I do not know what happens to the webbing, but I guess it either weathers away, or some kind of mite predator is at work.

Clustering of the colonies along the midrib and margins is also common, and I see that in your photograph.

Glen wrote:I am confident that those are mites. I have seen both mites and mosaic virus on Bambusa plants.

The "webbing" really looks to me like a very thin layer of plastic covering the colony. Use a hand lens, and look at the back of every leaf until you find a colony with the webbing intact. This will be confirmation. I believe I see webbing in your photograph, but an extreme closeup would help, if you could get one. In many cases, old colonies no longer have webbing, so you may have to search a number of leaves. I do not know what happens to the webbing, but I guess it either weathers away, or some kind of mite predator is at work.

Clustering of the colonies along the midrib and margins is also common, and I see that in your photograph.

Well I have never seen either, which is why I was not so sure. I am now heavily leaning towards the idea that they are mites. Although it seems ridding ones bamboos of this pest is a tough task!

I have a small plant that is infected, I am going to treat it and see if I can get rid of it. If so, then I will know for sure it is mites. Thanks for your opinion, in means a lot to me!