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Caterpillars are the young of either
butterflies or moths. many are pests in the garden, so by killing the
caterpillar pest which is often a voracious feeder on plant leaves and
flowers, you are potentially decreasing your butterfly population in
months to come!
Some caterpillars have the odd nibble
- or are present in small enough numbers as to not be a severe problem.
A case in point for me, would be the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk
Moth in the image above. This little beast was around 8cm long. The
parent being the beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth seen in the image below
Caterpillars come in many forms, some
feeding upon foliage and flower petals, some feeding from the inside of
fruit, others living their life underground and feeding upon roots of
plants - the latter often known as cutworms. At least one type of
caterpillar actually lives within the leaf of the plant - the Pyracantha
leaf miner - a caterpillar!
Vegetables
On the other side of the
gardening/environmental equation, are the caterpillars of the cabbage
white Butterfly. No vegetable gardener has sentiment for this
troublesome caterpillar, which can decimate a crop of brassicas in a
short time.
Fruit
There are several caterpillars that can
cause severe damage to fruit tree foliage and also to the fruit -
notably the codling Moth Caterpillar. For the serious fruit grower,
there is no choice - the caterpillars are pests.
Treatment
A small infestation caught at the onset
can be treated simply by picking the caterpillars off the affected
leaves - wear gloves, for some have an irritant effect on the skin. In
the flower garden, a general insecticide will do the trick, whereas on
the vegetable plot spray with Bifenthrin or Imidacloprid - available as
Provado.
Your choice - beautiful butterflies/moths
or perfect crops!
The eggs are rarely seen - often laid by the butterfly ot
moth under on the underside of garden foliage. cabbage white Butterfly
eggs are easy to spot, for they are laid in masses and the lime pale
lime green shows up quite well on the darker green of the cabbage leaf.
Butterfly, moth eggs laid on the stem of the host plant. |
