I posted this on the Identification forum and then realized I might need to post it here on the Bug Identification forum. This is the second year this same critter has invaded my Baptisia. I thought last year it had killed it and it came back beautifully this year, but here they are again eating it up and making a mess of it. What is this???
Here's a wider shot - since I took this picture they have really spread and the plant doesn't have many green leaves left at all. There are also MANY more of these cats on the plant and baby ones also. Please HELP!!!
http://www.800oakwilt.com/genistacaterpillar.html
A web-producing caterpillar is the genista caterpillar, Uresiphita (=Tholeria) reversalis (Guenee) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae),
Pest Status, Damage: Caterpillars produce loose webbing around leaves and branches in which they feed on leaves; produce unsightly "nests" and cause loss of leaves and some plant stress; hairs on larvae may cause skin irritation.
Sorry it took so long. You need to get rid of them. Bt works well on the young caterpillars - spray on the plant,. They will eat and eventually die. Does not harm any other insects, such as your beneficials. If they are larger it may not be as effective. You may need to go to a stronger chemical.
Thank you so much! I'm off to find some BT!!!
The University of California at Davis recommended the Bt and Orthene. (They also recommended two insecticides that are no longer sold - diazinon and dursban.) So it looks like Orthene is the only other choice if the Bt is not effective. If they were still small, I wouldn't hesitate to use Bt. It is very effective. It's just that when they get larger, they don't eat as much because they are getting ready to pupate. It doesn't kill them at this stage.
Also found pesticides for caterpillars in general: Bayer Advanced Garden Multi-Insect Killer, Ortho Bug-B-Gone Multipurpose Spray, (I'm not familiar with either of those), Spinosad, Pyrethrin (both considered "organic" but they kill everything too).
This message was edited Aug 25, 2006 5:44 PM
I looked at Home Depot for BT and they didn't have it - I guess I need to check with a nursery for it.
Oh, they should, unless they are tiny. We have it in our HDs, Walmarts, Lowe's and nurseries too. Some names are Thuricide, Green Light Bio-Worm Killer, Dipel is a dust, there's more, I'm sure. It's the ingredient, not the brand name.
I wonder if it's possible to remove them physically, maybe an old pair of gloves and smush 'em up, at least until you can get the Bt or Orthane?
That's a good idea!! They're still munchin' away....
OH YUCK! There's hundreds of them! And there are webs everywhere - OK I might go give it a try in the morning.
I wonder if it would hurt my baptisia to cut the branches back that they've already eaten all the leaves on - if I could do that and not hurt the plant I could just put those little critters in a trash bag on the stems, tie it up and let my kids smash them all!
Maybe a broom?
Maybe you could pay the kids something for each one they picked? They're not nearly as squeemish - usually.
So you think cutting off the limbs of the baptisia would be bad?
I just don't know. I haven't grown baptisia.
Any luck yet?
No, it's been raining - which is a good thing, but I can't spray yet. I did go out there with the boys and showed them to them and they are out there now mashing them!
Way to go!! Work off some of that energy! They're having a blast! (Be sure to tell them not to smash all caterpillars in the future - just in case you have a butterfly garden. :-)
I know - I made that clear when I was telling them about it! I would die!
Even though this is an old post it was EXTREMELY helpful to me. I got a new plant this year and this fall it is now just showing signs of this cat and I will immediately begin treating it. I'll let you know how it goes. THANK YOU!!
