Do holes in leaves mean my plant is dying?

Not usually. Most established plants can tolerate a meaningful amount of leaf-chewing damage without any lasting harm, since leaves are a renewable resource for a healthy plant and new growth typically replaces what's lost. The exceptions are young seedlings, which have less leaf area to spare, or a plant facing repeated, severe defoliation season after season, which can genuinely weaken it over time. A handful of holes here and there is a normal part of gardening, not a sign of a dying plant, though it's still worth identifying and managing the pest before damage escalates.

Why do the holes seem to appear overnight?

Many of the most common leaf-chewing culprits — slugs, snails, earwigs, and some caterpillars — feed primarily at night and hide during the day in soil, mulch, or plant debris, which is exactly why the damage seems to materialize with no visible pest around when you check in daylight. A flashlight inspection an hour or two after dark, especially after rain or watering, is often the only reliable way to catch these pests in the act and confirm which one is responsible for a particular pattern of holes.

Are the pests that chew holes in leaves dangerous to touch?

Generally no — slugs, caterpillars, beetles, and flea beetles common in home gardens aren't dangerous to handle, though a few caterpillar species have irritating hairs or spines that can cause skin irritation on contact, so it's reasonable to use gloves if you're unsure of the species. If a pet or curious child has direct contact with garden insecticide residue rather than the insects themselves, follow the product label and contact a veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for pet-related concerns, or a doctor for a person, if irritation develops.

Can I just ignore small holes if the plant still looks healthy overall?

For a light, cosmetic amount of damage on an otherwise vigorous plant, yes — many gardeners choose to tolerate a small amount of chewing rather than treating every leaf imperfection. It's worth keeping an eye on the trend, though: a few holes that stay stable are very different from damage that's clearly increasing week to week, which suggests a growing pest population that will eventually affect the plant's health or yield if left unaddressed, especially on food crops or young transplants.

Daniel Brady · NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664

What Causes Holes in Leaves?

Usually a pest

Holes almost always mean chewing insects or slugs — and the pattern of the hole names the culprit.

At a glance

The verdict: Usually a pest
Who fixes it: You
Category: Leaf-Symptom Diagnosis (pest vs disease vs care)

The short answer

Holes chewed into leaves are, in the large majority of cases, caused by chewing pests — beetles, caterpillars, slugs and snails, flea beetles, earwigs, or grasshoppers — and the shape of the hole is the fastest clue to which one. Skeletonized leaves with just the veins left point to Japanese beetles; ragged holes with slime trails point to slugs; scattered larger holes with dark droppings nearby point to caterpillars; tiny round 'shot-holes' point to flea beetles. A smaller share of hole-like damage comes from disease, where a fungal or bacterial leaf spot kills tissue that later drops out and leaves a hole with a discolored rim, or from mechanical damage like hail. This is a garden pest problem, handled with garden-center products, not pest control.

What's really going on

Pest, disease, or how you're caring for it?

Most leaf problems aren't pests at all. Here's the honest split — the most likely cause, the less likely ones, and how to tell them apart before you treat anything.

Symptom: holes chewed or eaten into leaves

Confidence: high

PestMost likelythe usual cause
Japanese beetles (skeletonizing leaves down to the veins, active June–July), caterpillars and loopers (large, ragged holes, often with dark frass nearby), slugs and snails (ragged holes with slime trails, worse at night and after rain), flea beetles (tiny round shot-holes), earwigs and grasshoppers (chewed margins).
Japanese beetlescaterpillars/loopersslugs and snailsflea beetlesgrasshoppers
The tell:Frass (droppings), slime trails, skeletonized veins, or chewed margins — some visible sign of the animal responsible, even if you don't see the pest itself.
Diseasea less common cause
A 'shot-hole' effect where a fungal or bacterial leaf-spot pathogen kills a small patch of tissue, which dries out and eventually falls away, leaving a hole; anthracnose can behave this way on several ornamental and fruit species.
shot-hole disease (fungal/bacterial leaf spot)anthracnose
The tell:The hole has a discolored, often yellow or brown, ring around its edge, and similar spots that haven't dropped out yet are often visible elsewhere on the plant.
Care / environmenta rare cause
Mechanical damage from hail, wind-driven debris, garden tools, or general physical wear and tear.
hail damagewind/mechanical abrasiontool damage
The tell:The damage is random in shape and placement, shows no slime, frass, or discolored rim, and doesn't spread to new leaves over time.

How to tell them apart

Look for the sign of the animal responsible — frass, slime, skeletonized veins, or a chewed margin — versus a ringed spot where dead tissue has simply fallen out (disease). Random, patternless holes with no biological signs point to mechanical damage instead.

The honest router

Who actually fixes this?

YouGarden centerUNH ExtensionCertified arboristPest-control pro

Start here

You

Chewing damage on garden and landscape plants is addressed with homeowner and garden-center controls — hand-picking, slug bait, row cover, or insecticidal soap — matched to whichever pest the hole pattern points to.

Garden center — You've identified the culprit and want a specific product recommendation — slug bait, row cover, or insecticidal soap.
UNH Extension — You can't tell what's causing the holes from the pattern alone — UNH Cooperative Extension's Insect & Arthropod ID service can confirm it.

Straight talk from Anchor

Landscape and garden chewing pests aren't structural pest control — this isn't an Anchor job, and we'd route you to a garden center or Extension rather than treat your plants.

The full answer

The details, straight

Match the hole to the culprit

The vast majority of leaf holes come down to a small set of well-known chewing pests, and the shape and pattern of the damage is usually enough to make a confident call without ever seeing the insect itself. Japanese beetles feed in groups and skeletonize leaves, leaving behind a lacy network of veins. Caterpillars and loopers chew larger, more irregular holes and often leave visible dark frass nearby. Slugs and snails leave ragged holes and unmistakable slime trails, feeding mostly at night or during damp weather. Flea beetles leave a scatter of tiny, round shot-holes, and grasshoppers or earwigs chew notches from leaf margins inward.

When it's disease, not a bug

A smaller share of hole-like damage isn't chewing at all. Some fungal and bacterial leaf-spot pathogens, including certain anthracnose infections, kill a small patch of leaf tissue outright; that dead tissue eventually dries, becomes brittle, and falls out of the leaf, leaving behind a hole. The giveaway is the rim: disease-caused holes usually keep a discolored, yellowed, or browned border around the opening, and nearby leaves often show similar spots that haven't progressed to falling out yet. True chewing damage, by contrast, leaves a clean or ragged bite mark without that consistent discolored ring.

The fix, once you've named the culprit

For slugs, nighttime hand-picking, shallow traps, or an iron-phosphate slug bait (considered a lower-risk option around pets and edible plants than older formulations) are standard. For Japanese beetles, hand-picking into soapy water is effective for light populations. For caterpillars, flea beetles, and other soft-bodied chewing insects, an insecticidal soap or a product labeled for the specific plant, applied per the label from a garden center, is the usual next step. Floating row cover physically excludes many pests without any spray. If the pattern doesn't clearly match a pest and you suspect disease, sanitation — removing and disposing of affected leaves — is the right first move rather than an insecticide.

The gist

Key takeaways

Holes in leaves are usually chewing pests — Japanese beetles, caterpillars, slugs, flea beetles, or grasshoppers — not disease.
The hole's shape names the culprit: skeletonized veins = beetles, slime trails = slugs, shot-holes = flea beetles.
A smaller share of hole-like damage is a disease 'shot-hole' effect, told apart by a discolored rim around the hole.
Match the fix to the pest: hand-picking, iron-phosphate slug bait, row cover, or insecticidal soap from a garden center.
This is a garden and landscape pest problem, not a job for a pest-control company.

Not sure what's chewing your plants?

The shape of the hole usually names the culprit — skeletonized veins, slime trails, or shot-holes each point to a different pest.

See the full pest-vs-disease triage

Local to New Hampshire

A note for New Hampshire gardens and landscapes

New Hampshire context

Japanese beetles are a well-known regional pest in New Hampshire through June and July, and slugs thrive in the region's cool, damp summer nights. If you can't identify what's chewing your plants, UNH Cooperative Extension's Insect & Arthropod ID service and the free Ask UNH Extension Infoline (1-877-EXT-GROW) can help. Anchor Pest Services focuses on the structural and yard pests around your home, not the bugs chewing on your garden plants, but we're glad to point you to the right resource.

NH-licensed applicator #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430) · NEPMA member · family-owned since 2017.

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Chewed Leaves Are Garden Care — Your Home Is Our Job

Holes in your garden or landscape plants are a garden-pest issue, and we'll always say so rather than overselling a treatment you don't need from us. Where Anchor Pest Services genuinely helps is the structural and yard pests around your home — rodents, ants, ticks, and moisture pests. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664, serving Manchester, Nashua, Concord and nearby towns.

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Diagnosis first — we help you separate a chewing insect from disease or weather damage
NH-licensed (#782664) for structural and yard pests; garden defoliators route elsewhere
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Keep Exploring

What Causes Holes in Leaves?

Pest, disease, or how you're caring for it?

Who actually fixes this?

The details, straight

Match the hole to the culprit

When it's disease, not a bug

The fix, once you've named the culprit

Key takeaways

Not sure what's chewing your plants?

A note for New Hampshire gardens and landscapes

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