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CATERPILLARS
Caterpillar with chewing
damage on leaf
Caterpillars come in all shapes and sizes, but
they share a common appetite for your lovely new irises! Caterpillars inflict
damage by eating the foliage and stems. They are voracious eaters, and can
defoliate a plant in a short period of time. You may first notice an
infestation by holes and chewed edged on leaves. Rolled up leaves and silk
threads are other indications that infestation has occurred.
Alternative Solutions:
If you are able to catch the infestation early on,
the best strategy is to handpick them and crush them. Make sure you also
remove rolled or folded leaves that shelter the caterpillars.
Cleanup and disposal of garden debris throughout
the growing season, followed by a thorough end-of-season cleanup, will help
reduce the size of future generations of caterpillars.
Chemical Solutions:
Spinosad (Fertilome Borer, Bagworm, Leafminer and
Tent Caterpillar Spray, or Garden's Alive Bull-Eye), and bacillus
thuringiensis (Dipel, Thuricide and others) will kill caterpillars. Both of
these biological pesticides are easy on the beneficial insects and bees that
keep other insects like spider mites from becoming problems. Although
carbaryl (Sevin) or permethrin (Eight) can kill caterpillars, they can also
kill bees and other beneficial insects.
Because our gardens border neighbors who liberally
use chemicals, organic gardening is not a practical choice. We have found
spinosad to be the most effective against caterpillars in our gardens.
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