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Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars

11 years ago

Hi all, I have a young orange tree which I planted into the ground around Jan (mid-summer here in Aus) recently I have noticed some small caterpillars on several of the leaves, and after a little googling I believe them to be Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly larvae. The caterpillars donÃ¢ÂÂt look exactly like the pictures I see online, but quite similar, and I have seen some very large black butterflies around, and as far as butterflies go they are quite magnificent.

So I am a little torn now between my hate for caterpillars eating my plants, and my like for the adult butterflies.

What sort of damage will the caterpillars do to my young orange tree, should I let them be?

Also they look slightly reminiscent of a caterpillar we used to get on our gumtrees as a kid, which my parents called native spitfires (which I believe now to be mottled cup moth caterpillars) and which after collecting a bunch off of the trees once as a child I realised that there was a reason my parents called them spitfires! Will the citrus caterpillars sting if they are touched as well?

Cheers!

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Comments (2)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
11 years ago
I can see why you think those two catetpillar species look alike. But they are not related at all. The 'spit fire' of your memory is one of the stinging catetpillars...the adults are moths. We have related species ovef here....yikes, they pack a powerful sting.

The Orchard Swallowtail butterfly is very closely related to our Giant Swallowtail. Magnificent butterflies. Their caterpillars do NOT sting but
are capable of devouring a whole lot of foliage....overnight.

I grow seedling lemons for the sole purpose providing a host plant for these caterpillars. The trees look like you know what before too long, but its fun to watch the whole lifecycle unfold before your eyes.

I should add that if you decide to protect your young tree, you can probably do so without any chemicals. Between the birds, the tiny parasitic wasps, and other wasps and hornets, and your own fingers, you should be able to avoid excessive damage.

This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Tue, Feb 26, 13 at 6:24
naikii
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your reply! And you are definitely right about those stinging caterpillars, I still keep a weary distance from anything that looks remotely similar 20+ years later!

I wish it wasnÃ¢ÂÂt the case that they will become so destructive, they look so small and innocent now, but I guess they will grow into something largerÃ¢ÂÂ¦ Maybe I will allow one or two to remain and pluck the rest. I went and looked last night and pulled off about 7-8 new eggs as well, so perhaps this will become an ongoing battleÃ¢ÂÂ¦
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