Lots of Butterflies and Caterpillars?

13 years ago

This year I have enjoyed an enormous amount of varied butterflies in my yard. Unfortunately, they've chosen my brugs as host plants to lay their eggs. Is anyone battling a huge amount of little and big green worms and various caterpillars like I am? I tried Dipel (BT) and Sevin, (which I hate to use), with little results. The little rascals are over running my garden. I do see wasps taking them as prey, but they're not quick enough and my plants are looking like swiss cheese! I've also used Bayer 2 in 1 systemic, but that doesn't seem to be working either. Any other ideas? Thanks!

kasha77

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

karyn1
13 years ago
I having a problem with the little green bastards but I'd never consider using a pesticide. I suffer with swiss cheese foliage and lost buds. I pick them off by hand and toss them in the goldfish pond ; )
izharhaq
13 years ago
Got no Brugs right now but the 2 Key lime bushes are infested with Lime butterfly larvae... they look like bird droppings.. and each day in the morning I see many mama lime butterflies laying more eggs on it, one thing I am happy about is my Jasmine vine and Damask rose which are very close to the limes are completely untouched..

Izhar
Related Discussions
What eats Monarch Butterfly eggs/caterpillars?
Q
Comments (9)
Ants most definately eat butterfly eggs and 1st instar caterpillars (See below a section of an abstract). In fact, many plants, such as Senna, have what are called "extra floral nectaries". These are areas (usually little protruberances) that secrete nectar to attract ants. The ants in turn protect the plant from herbivores. There are lots of other things that eat eggs as well, ladybugs, tree crickets, lacewing nymphs. In addition, small wasps called chaclids, can lay their eggs inside butterfly eggs. This is why we often collect eggs and bring them to a safe place to raise. By the way, I have see a lot of chrysalises eaten by ants as well. They leave a nice neat hole, a little smaller than a pencil eraser. -Elisabeth Abstract I investigated variation in the effect of ants at extrafloral nectaries on the plant reproductive success among three populations of Cassia fasciculata (Leguminosae) in northern Florida. Results show that the possession of extrafloral nectaries can lead to increased reproduction. Density of ants and removal of experimentally placed Drosophila larvae were far higher on C. fasciculata than on nonnectariferous background plants. Ants preyed on eggs and small larvae of lepidopteran herbivores. C. fasciculata plants from which ants were excluded had more larvae of the major seed pod predator Phoebis sennae (Pieridae; Lepidoptera), suffered higher pod predation (at one site), and had lower reproductive output (at two sites) than did control plants to which ants had access. Effects of extrafloral nectaries on reproduction of C. fasciculata varied among the three populations, due apparently to differences in density of ants and potential herbivores.
...See More
Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillars - Already!
Q
Comments (2)
that will probably draw in the dianas and some of the swallowtails that like to puddle. if you get no hits, try mixing in some smooshes strawberries. there's something about rotting fruit they cannot resist. we always have a cloud of dianas in summer when i put out smooshed berries- but always a few days after i first set them out. not as dainty as they look! :) ralph, i'll have to ck my rue, parsley carrots and fennel over well. this is very early. it seems the last few years i haven't seen a good batch til late june. i know they used to be earlier. we enjoy bringing them in & raising them, too. i'll be watching my a. currasavica for monarchs, too. thanks again, ralph for those!
...See More
What plants attract butterflies ?
Q
Comments (37)
Was out the door early and planted the last Ftrebush into my second 25 gal wooden whiskey barrel. Saw another butterfly yesterday. It was a gorgeous deep orange with black spots and a 3 " wingspan. It was perched atop the bright flowers of my White Penta out front, completey ignoring the Red Penta just 6 inches away. He was not nervous in the least as I stood over him, memorizing his markings. He flitted off and I trotted inside to google his identity. Turns out he/she was a Gulf Fritillaries, IMHO, one of the most beautiful butterflies around. Today as I returned home in the afternoon I saw another. A Gulf Friitillatie ( who names these creatures ? ), - again on the White Penta,..maybe the same guy from yesterday. I knew nothing of butterflies till I travelled to Costa Rica 22 yrs ago. While there I visited the Monterverde Cloud Forest for 2 + days. While there I took in their Butterfly Garden.. On barely 1/3 acre, this netting covered jungle was an eye opener. Have had this in the back of my mind ever since. So by Saturday I will have two butterfly gardens, small as they are. One out front with 7 plants and a NE exposure, the 2nd, behind the lanai with only 3 plants ( a Firebush bracketed by 2 Milkeeds ), with a SE exposure. In the 6 yrs I've lived here have not seen even one butterfly as best I can remember. In last 4 days have seen four,. so am optimistic. Think this is something I would recommend to anyone with a little land outside, after the work of installation the maintenance is easy, even for me ! ( smile ) This post was edited by jofus on Fri, Oct 31, 14 at 8:40
...See More
When do caterpillars/butterflies ripen?
Q
Comments (3)
Ditto to what Karen said, plus if you've got small, not-ready-to-pupate caterpillars on your vines, they won't crawl away, unless they've completely skeletonized your vines - at that point, they might crawl off the vines looking for more passionvine leaves. I would leave the vines as they are all winter and not prune them back until spring. You MAY find that some caterpillars have survived the winter - they've done it here - and in that case, just cut off the section of vine they're on, prune back the vines, and lay the caterpillars at the base of the vines so they can eat new growth as it pops up. Thank you for caring about the gulf frits! Sherry
...See More
kasha77
Original Author
13 years ago
Karen- you're a better person than I am! I know it's bad for everything, but my babies are suffering from them! Izhar- what zone are you in? Key lime bushes- must be nice! Thanks guys!
kasha77
karyn1
13 years ago
Izhar that's one of the Swallowtail butterflies. They are beautiful and I'd gladly sacrifice some citrus foliage to them. The Giant Swallowtail in the states uses citrus as a host plant and the larvae also look like bird droppings.
chena
13 years ago
I have found a few on my citrus.. They are hungry little buggers and the plants look horrible but well worth it..
Kathy I will trade you the f#$$#@% grasshoppers for your little green worms any day.. besides my spiders are sick of having hoppers for supper..LOL

Kylie
gottahosta
13 years ago
Hand-pick and then stomp!!!! LOL!

Dipel is supposed to take several days to work and by then, bye-bye leaves and buds!
izharhaq
13 years ago
Actually our new home is at the border of the metropolitan, I grew up in the busy city surroundings and our recent home is completely opposite to it.. lots of inhabitants around us, not referring to humans..:) ..reptiles, bugs, birds, mongooses and squirrels etc and after the recent monsoon rains, we sleep listening concerts of Frogs and Toads, they never tire singing their love songs..lol

Its a sub-tropic climate with mild winter (no freeze) and hotter summers, rains three months a year and scarcely..

Key limes are wonderful shrubs, the flowers are fragrant and and the leaves too..! we are using the fruits as replacement to Lemons... hundreds of them still on these two 8' tall bushes...

There are lots of other butterflies and moths too... but unfortunately unable to recognize them for now..

Izhar
danasplants
13 years ago
I have guineas they work well for grass hoppers they feast on all kinds of bugs fertilize as they go too. I did the sevin dust and it worked ok then I got this product with spinosad its a green product so Karen you can use this too! I originally bought this for citrus need I googled and found it for the brugs too check it out. Spinosad is the active ingredient. ... Dana
rock_oak_deer
13 years ago
None right now, but I've seen the birds pick off the green worms from the brugs so they do the work for me.

I would pick them off myself if I thought they were destroying the plant. Most of the time I get a few holes and then the birds take over.
izharhaq
13 years ago
I have been growing these cats (more than 11) in an abandoned aquarium, they turned from tiny hairy creatures to chrysalis, today one adult emerged out of eight chrysalis, thought I share its pics:

{{gwi:539264}}
{{gwi:539265}}

In the first pic you can see 3 chrysalis, a fresh green, one with spotted butterfly visible inside and one empty, the second pic is of ex-resident of the empty shell in pic above it..

Izhar
chena
13 years ago
Very cool Izhar! I have hatched Black Swallowtails in the house..

Dana the guineas wouldn't stand a chance out here.. To much other wildlife they would just be a snack for something. The coyotes were so close last night one of the heelers was singing along..LOL wasn't very funny at 3 in the morning I wanted to choke her...

Kylie
karyn1
13 years ago
Izhar that's beautiful. Dana that sounds like a promising pesticide. I won't use it outside because of all the caterpillars that I do want but will definitely consider using it over the winter in the greenhouses.

Here is a link that might be useful: spinosad
kasha77
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the tip on Spinosad- I will certainly look it up. Lately, I've been walking around with a pair of scissors and cutting pests in half- even those large grasshoppers. Seems like the worms hide during the day and do their damage at night.
kasha77
roper2008
13 years ago
This is my first year having brugs. The ones that are on my deck,
have had the most problems with bugs. First slugs, then the green
caterpillars. The leaves are looking like swiss cheese too. Now the
one's in the garden are being left alone. Go figure.

Lots of Butterflies and Caterpillars?

Comments (14)

karyn1

izharhaq

Related Discussions

kasha77
Original Author

karyn1

chena

gottahosta

izharhaq

danasplants

rock_oak_deer

izharhaq

chena

karyn1

kasha77
Original Author

roper2008

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Lots of Butterflies and Caterpillars?

Comments (14)

Related Discussions

kasha77Original Author

kasha77Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

kasha77
Original Author

kasha77
Original Author