lemon tree pest

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dbarry Tucson, AZ(Zone 9a) Apr 26, 2008

i have a small potted hybrid lemon tree. last year it was stripped of its leaves by a bug that may be a caterpillar. it resembles bird feces. i thought it was not going to come back this spring, but it has, and i'm seeing eggs on the leaves that look like tiny warts. what are these things and how do i get rid of them. my sister-in-law is seeing the same thing on her lemon trees but not on her orange trees, so it may just be a lemon tree pest and not overall citrus pest.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 26, 2008

Any chance you can post a picture of the things that look like tiny warts?

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graceful_garden Hahira, GA(Zone 8b) Apr 27, 2008

Those are some kind of Swallowtail BF cats. I had (9) 2 weeks ago on my tiny lemon tree, but the birds have eaten all but 2. Mine are Giant Swallowtails, & the cats are HUGE now. They have actually eaten only a handful of leaves, so, unless you are totally overrun, I humbly advise you to watch & enjoy!

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graceful_garden Hahira, GA(Zone 8b) Apr 27, 2008

Another shot

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graceful_garden Hahira, GA(Zone 8b) Apr 27, 2008

This one has his "tongue" (the red spot on the front) protruding!

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graceful_garden Hahira, GA(Zone 8b) Apr 28, 2008

I'm pretty new at the butterfly thing, but there are many experts who can give you more info over on the Hummingbird & Butterfly Gardening Forum.

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dbarry Tucson, AZ(Zone 9a) Apr 28, 2008

my camera is on the fritz right now, looking into upgrading anyway. the pictures of the swallowtail cats is exactly what they look like. last year they stripped the tree of all foliage, and i wasn't sure it would come back this spring,but it has and i would like to keep it that way. is there anything out there i could use to discourage them without killing them?

This message was edited Apr 28, 2008 10:52 AM

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graceful_garden Hahira, GA(Zone 8b) Apr 29, 2008

Gee, dbarry - I don't know. You could ask on the Hummingbird/Butterfly forum. The only thing I can think of is to enclose the tree in a screen cage - to keep the BFs away, so they won't lay eggs. BTW, out of 9 cats I started with, am down to 1, & there's a ton of new leaves emerging to replace the eaten ones! I think the last remaining cat may be ready to make his chrysalis! Here's the link to my thread about the GST cats: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/834389/

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sheepdip San Antonio, TX May 05, 2008

It sure looks like bird feces! I'm pretty sure I would've mistaken that for what it looks like and washed it off. Thanks for the education!

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