CLOSED: What are these caterpillars (and how do I get rid of them!)?

Hi guys,

Seems my pet project plant at the moment, the one recently buzzing with a zillion Springtails and an earwig, now has a severe caterpillar problem too! I was very unhappy the other day to check my plants and find many of the healthy new leaves had been shredded as breakfast for nearly a dozen very tiny baby caterpillars! I took the time to remove every one of them I could see, and the next day, I found a few more, which I'd obviously missed the first time around. On the third day, I didn't find any more and the plant is now recovering from almost becoming a three course meal for the next generation of flying critters!

What I'd like to know is, can anybody identify what species of butterfly or moth this caterpillar belongs to, and also, if anybody can provide advice on the best ways to avoid, prevent, remove, or eliminate them? I'm all in favor of creatures needing a place to lay their young to propagate their species, but there are enough adult plants in my yard that they don't need to do so on my fledgeling cuttings! =)

Thanks in advance everyone!

might help to tell what plant is it. edited- Sorry- you said fuschia in the other thread.
But I think generally all can be treated with Bt. I sympathize. I had one lantana last year getting eaten. I had to draw the line.

This message was edited Mar 8, 2007 3:43 PM

Hi Sally, no, sorry for the confusion, but the fuschia with the mealybugs is NOT actually the same plant that's had the springtails, earwigs, and caterpillars!!

To be honest, I don't know what sort of plant this is - it's a random cutting from a tree I liked, when it gets a little bigger I'd planned to post it on the Plant Identification forum, but until then, I've no idea. All I know is that it's a baby tree, and will someday become a very, very large tree like its mommy. =)

As a completely amateur gardener, I have to ask - what is "treated with Bt."? My experience with pest control so far is limited to picking/flicking the offenders off my plants and hoping they don't come back. If they become regular visitors and I have to take more serious action, I'll need more specific instructions! =)

In the meantime, can anybody else identify this caterpillar without knowing what sort of plant this is that I found them on?

Cheers.

I'll guess that your caterpillar is in the family of Geometrid moths, I'll look around. 'Bt' is short for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterial disease that is used as a pesticide. It's safe for people and wildlife.


Here, see if you recognize your critter on this page:

http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/larvae/geometridae/geometridae.html

This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 12:40 AM

claypa- thanks for filling in on Bt. I woulda hadda look it up....
Vaelor- I've used Bt sold in liquid concentrate, and I think I've seen it in powder form. Ask at the garden place if you need it, they'll be familiar.
You could take a picture of more of the tree and post in Plant ID forum!

I had to look it up too, at least the 'thuringiensis' part. It's misspelled all the time, Bt is a lot easier!

If you were in my neighbourhood, I would have said Eastern tent caterpillar. They look similar. They are so disgusting. I can handle aphids, mealy bugs and all kinds of creepycrawlies, including spiders, but Eastern tent caterpillars are gross because there are tons of them in one 'nest'. They weave "tents" of their webbing and can defoliate a small tree in one day. Check out this site. there are tons of them squirming around in that tent. just looking at it gives me the willies!!

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/trees/ef423.htm