- Joined
- Feb 2, 2014
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- Location
- La Porte Texas
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
Caterpillars are really a PITA. They do all kinds of damage and there isn't really any telltale sign that they are there until you see the damage and the damage is almost instant once they hatch out. Catterpillars come from moth eggs and the moths usually fly at night so you never see them or their eggs. But happily (at least in the US) they are easily controlled organically by products whose active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt for short. Usually the reciepie is 2 oz Bt per gallon of water and if you add 1 oz of molasses it makes it at least twice as good. Spray late in the afternoon before any sign of damage and once a week thereafter and I doubt you will ever even see a caterpillar. A caterpillar takes one bite of a leaf that has Bt on it and he stops feeding right then and there and will be DRT in about 4 hours.