I have sulphurs laying constantly. I have eggs. I have no cats at all that I can tell. The closest things I have are miniscule ~1-1.5 mm length rapidly moving orange things. They do not appear to be eating anything. They are the color of but FAR smaller than aphids. Does anyone have any photos of sulphur cats? The ones I had last year were huge!
Thanks,
Maggie
Sulphur cats
Sulfur eggs will not survive unless they are laid on the very tender new growth.The little cats blend in with the leaf so well it's real hard to spot.You'll see them hanging out right on the stem of the leaf .Little chew marks in the leaf is a sure sign they are there and are eatting.I think they have many enemies and are carried off or are eatten by their hungry foes.I had 3 cats that I put in my butterfly cage with a cassia alata and thought they would be OK ,but I was wrong about that.Something got them and not sure what it was. Oh the cats in the spring are the same color as the leaf on the cassia and in the later spring and summer as soon as they flower I've seen the cats were more yellow as they eat the flowers of the plant. Don
Thanks Don,
I finally found one cat on a branch I brought in to the screen porch. There are lots of other chew marks but I just can't find the cats. Do you know how big the first instars are?
Thanks,
Maggie
The cats are quite tiny when they first emerge. Even as 2nd or 3rd instars they can camouflage with the green foliage. Had the same trouble with the Checkered White caterpillars...even though they have stripes and spots and were an inch long I'd still lose sight of them!!!
Look for chewed (or missing) leaves as well frass ;o)
~ Cat
Maggie, Cats right they are real small.They hide in the folded leaves of the cassia and along the center of the so they blend in real well.I know when you've you have chewed leaves it's hard to remember which ones were chewed yesterday and which ones were chewed the day before.
Lot of chewing, ants, and other assorted ne'erdowells, but durn few (1) cats. I looked today and eggs were missing!!!!$@*&^*! I'll start bringing in egs although that didn't work great last year. Went from eggs to nothing. I am undaunted!
Maggie
Here's those guys that seem to end up MIA missing in action.http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=cloudless+sulphur+larva+&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2
Whoops!! did that wrong thought it would give a automatic link -guess not.
This message was edited Apr 6, 2007 8:44 AM
Maggie,
What kind of Cassia do you have? Most of the Cats laid on my neighbors "Privet" didn't survive. I have the more broad leaved S.obtusifolia and then I just cut off the newest growth that has eggs and bring it inside. I place it in water inside of a cage and wait till they're big enough. I'm not sure which instar it is though...maybe 2 or 3? But I find the babes right on the inner leaf vein and they blend perfectly.
Good Hunting!
~Adrienne
Senna Cassia and Cassia Alata.
I'll keep looking and get stronger glasses. I did have one but he died, not sure why.
Maggie