These critters devoured about 1/3 of the miniature petunias in my daughter's hanging basket. We were wondering if anyone knew what kind of larvae they are? Butterfly or something else? They certainly were voracious leaving very little of the flowers they attacked!
She ended up handpicking them and tossing them into the jasmine plant, and eventually got rid of them without using pesticides or BT.
Awwshucks ~ Unfortunately I can't help you on the ID, but I was going to suggest, if for some reason you don't get an answer here, you might post it in the Hummingbird and Butterfly forum, possibly in the Daily Butterfly Pics thread. If they are Butterfly Caterpillars someone there should recognize them.
Here's the link to the Daily Butterfly Pics forum (just in case you don't get an answer here):
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1320448/
This message was edited Jul 13, 2013 11:32 PM
those look like striped garden caterpillars or armyworm. They are likely caterpillars to some type of moth. Caterpillars can get some color according to what they eat.
Several caterpillars will eat a wide range of plants, so I would go along with 'Armyworm'.
Keep the plants sprayed with B.t., a type of natural pesticide that kills caterpillars. The caterpillar will eat a few bites of the leaf, bud or flower and get the B.t. then die. If you wait until the caterpillars are too large they will have to eat a lot of petunia to get the poison.
B.t. is not actually a poison. It is a bacteria specific to caterpillars.
Bt stands for the bacteria Bacillus thuringensis. This bacteria produces a toxin with insecticidal properties. This toxin is harmful to the insects but not harmful to humans, particularly at the concentrations you would be spraying. http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=55889
Also pyrethrins which come from chrysanthamum flowers is also a natural insecticide. http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=50434
Spinosad which is also from another soil bacteria is a good one:
http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=50050
You want to rotate these products so the pests do not develop resistance. Just because something is natural doesnt mean it is safe. I would handle these products as if I was handling any other.
This message was edited Aug 16, 2013 12:26 AM
