CLOSED: Caterpillar ID-Black body-yellow bands, no hair-reddish head

Pompano Beach, FL

Please hurry - They are voracious and there are several of them. I caught one, put it in a jar with a large piece of leaf from my Plumeria, that they are trying to devour. In less than an hour, the leaf is gone and the bottom of the jar is covered with pellets - like rabbit pellets. I cleaned my patio just a couple of days ago and today the whole area by the Plumeria is covered with these pellets and the ground is littered with partially eaten leaves. It is over 4" long. Black body - 1/2" wide black bands, 1/8" yellow bands. No hair. It has a reddish-orange head with lighter orange behind it. It has a lighter orange backside. It has 3 sets of reddish orange legs in front closer together behind the head followed by lighter orange legs spaced 1/2" apart below the yellow bands. Just above the backside, it has a light orange spot with a single black tail sticking up about 1/2".

Thumbnail by sheila6277
Sinks Grove, WV

This is a larva of a tetrio sphinx moth, Pseudosphinx tetrio; Lepidoptera: Sphingidae - see http://tinyurl.com/lb375o for detailed information.

Pompano Beach, FL

Thank you so much! This is my pest! I read all the info at the link - My Plumeria is very tall - It says the best way to get rid of them is to remove them by hand - I can't reach most of them and it says they bite if handled. I don't think they are vicious, but just the fact that they never stop eating and pooping makes me not want to handle them. I have a "reacher" that I can use if I can reach them, but they get in between the leaves and it is hard to get them - There are at least 12-15 that I can see - and probably twice that that I can't see. Do you have any other suggestions? I caught about six of them and have them in a container with some of the leaves for them to eat - Hate to kill anything - especially something so beautiful! The one thing it doesn't say is how long each of the larvae live?

Benton, KY(Zone 7a)

Here's a list of possible host plants listed by the U of FL if you want to re-locate them.

Apocynaceae (dogbane family)
Plumeria rubra L. (frangipani, temple trees)
Plumeria alba L.
Plumeria obtusa L.
llamanda cathartica L.
Himatanthus sucuuba (Spruce ex Mll. Arg.) Woodson
Adenium sp.?
Rhabdadenia biflora (Jacq.) (rubber vine) (native Florida hostplant?)
Echites umbellata Jacq. ( devil's potato) (native Florida hostplant?)

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