Caterpillars

[davidwood]

I get these in my garden, they are not really a problem for my Hibs, but they can strip an Andenium in a few days.

[roadrunner]

David, I was going to ask if they were eating flowers or foliage but sounds like they're making a complete mess of you Andeniums.  BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) would probably be the most effective treatment if you can get it over there. Are you familiar with it? It is a biological control. It's very easy to find over here, have no idea about in Vietnam.  It's mixed with water and sprayed on the infested plants. The larva eat it which causes them stop additional feeding and they starve to death. It's most effective when the larva are small so the idea is to nail them right after the eggs hatch so damage is very minimal. It probably won't kill the larger worms though, you may need to resort to hand picking and your shoe again or chemical pesticides which will also unfortunately kill your pollenators like bees. Over here BT can be found under several brand names. For example Green Light BT Worm Killer, Thuricide, and Safer Brand Caterpillar Killer. If you are unable to get it over there then several chemical pesticides will work, but the BT is the most environmentally friendly and probably the most effective since once you've starting applying it the larva die before they can get to that large voracious destructive size. I'm not much help on chemical pesticides since I try to attack things with hort oil, soap, etc with the exception of systemics, but I'd imagine Malathion is one that would work. Hope that's a help.

dave

[davidwood]

 Dave,I did look for that BT stuff on Ebay but they dont export, but having read what you say I think the BioNeem I have from Charlie may well do the trick, it looks like it will at least control the larve and after just reading all about it it may well kill these Beetles I have as well so thanks.

[Charlie]

David, if you cannot find BT containing products another one that might work is any spinosad containing product. We sell it for use against thrips but the label says it works on a variety of worms and caterpillars too. I copied this list off the label:
Armyworms, including beet
Bagworms, including spruce
Cutworms, including black
Eastern tent caterpillars
Fall webworms
Fire ants
Gypsy and hickory tussock moth larvae
Pod gall midges
Serpentine leafminers
Sod webworms
Spider mites
Spruce budworms
Thrips, including western flower
Yellow-necked caterpillars

Charlie

[roadrunner]

Good grief Charlie I had a senior moment, I totally forgot about spinosad. Cheez

dave

[LJG]

Spinosad has replaced BT for me. It is faster acting and last longer. It works very well against my moth larvae invasion I get each late spring on a few rare flowering plants I have that they love. And of course it is great for killing thrips.

[Charlie]

Thanks for that feedback, Len. I don't have much of a problem with caterpillars in the greenhouse but maybe that's because I spray with spinosad regularly for thrips and it gets any caterpillars, too. I do see moths and butterflies fly in and out of the greenhouse so the potential for caterpillars is there.

Charlie

[roadrunner]

I can't get Spinosad or for that matter Greenlight with safari locally.  It's either a 130 mile round trip drive to Tucson or mail order when I need them.

dave

[davidwood]

I just caught this one about 2 hours ago at dusk, if I had not seen it till morning it would have doubled in size and done loads of damage, fortunately they aren't interested in the Hibs, just the Andeniums, nothing I have seems to work, Spinosad Neem Oil Hort Oil etc, I have ordered that BT stuff Dave recommended on EBay so we will see if that works.

[roadrunner]

Sorry to hear that you are still having the caterpillar problem. Hope the BT will work for you.
You mentioned beetles in another post. Are they still attacking your hibs or are these different?

dave

[davidwood]

Yes still getting the beetles, although these new ones aren't quite as destructive, they are a different colour as well, mainly black with a few white lines on them, I will try and get a photo later, I usually catch at least 3 a day.

[roadrunner]

Good grief!!!!

Well each region and climate seems to have specific pluses and minuses for gardening. You seem to have a larger array of pests to deal with in the tropics than the rest of us. Looking forward to seeing the pics of your latest adversary.

dave

[LJG]

David, if you can't get Spinosad, then Vietnam has to have BT of some sort. Spray your plants every few weeks or just when you are gone for a while. It will ensure no out break will defoliate your plants while you are gone for a long period. I do this before each long trip I go on. I also use a systemic from Bayer to ensure aphids and mites stay off while I am gone.

[davidwood]

Well I got that BT [thanks Dave], one spray and not a caterpillar since. I use Spinosad weekly as a prevention against Thrips but it just did not stop them, maybe a coincidence but I have had less beetles as well since I sprayed.

As for the systemic from Bayer, if you mean the Tree and Shrub from Charlie I know its wonderful, its the only thing I know that 100% stops Mealy bugs, problem is customs here stop me having the last bottle, but as its been a while maybe I will try again.