biological remedy for caterpillars

[THC123]

High

I am growing mj and veggies in my gh this year. For the mites and bugs i can get natural predators , but i have caterpillars.

And if i spray for caterpillars, it kills the natural predators.

SO does anyone have any idea??
Cuz i have to eat those veggies and smoke those buds, don't want pesticides

 

[chubbynugs]

Spinosad not sure how it affects other things though. Just trying to give what input i know that kills the pillars

 

[Mr. Stinky]

can you just pick off as many as you can see each time your there, and let the stealthy ones that hide from ya have their share? they dont eat much, and they dont stay long, and the butterflies/moths that come from them will pollinate many thousands of flowers and fruits...maybe? just throwin the karma angle out there

 

[midwestganja]

Very easy, Diatomaceous Earth takes care of caterpillar problems.

Do a google search on Diatomaceous Earth and caterpillars, its a good product, and it's organic.

 

[Cruzin]

DO NOT rely on picking them off your crop! That is a terrible idea. There are plenty of preventative methods that are organic and will keep you bug free all summer. I would go down to your local hydro shop and ask what they recommend.

 

[humble1]

wow, i love it when i have the right answer first.
bacillus thurigensis variety Kurstaki
also marketed under the name "Dipel"
effective, cheap, nontoxic to predators
couple it with light regular dustings of diatomaceous earth and sulfur and you're almost fully covered

 

[Wait...What?]

braconid wasps

http://davesgarden.com/guides/terms/go/1565/

 

[dr-dank]

Might look for something with Spinosad (a mixture of spinosan a and b) works well and is organic. Monterey Garden Insect spray here in the states, but other brands exist.

I beleive it is systemic; I used for thrips but also listed for caterpillars, if they feed on leaves.

HTHs

 

[JeffSpicoli]

ya ive had great success with spinosad against caterpillars. Ive tried safers caterpillar killer, and it seemed to kinda work, but they always came back... When i used monterey garden insect killer, i didnt see anymore caterpillars the rest of that grow

 

[Huey69]

can you just pick off as many as you can see each time your there, and let the stealthy ones that hide from ya have their share? they dont eat much, and they dont stay long, and the butterflies/moths that come from them will pollinate many thousands of flowers and fruits...maybe? just throwin the karma angle out there

You've obviously have never had an infestation of caterpillars. They tear through buds and shit every where. This shit leads to mold. This mold leads to catastrophic other problems, aka destroying 50% of a crop. I was picking upwards of 20+ caterpillars off one 2.5 foot plant a day (not to mention having to pick them off other plants as well).

The only thing that ever ended up working for me was spinosad. One spraying, and they were gone. I think i may have seen one or two after that spraying if that.

 

[DocLeaf]

High

I am growing mj and veggies in my gh this year. For the mites and bugs i can get natural predators , but i have caterpillars.

And if i spray for caterpillars, it kills the natural predators.

SO does anyone have any idea??
Cuz i have to eat those veggies and smoke those buds, don't want pesticides

Remove them by hand! Paying attention to the undersides of the leafs. !

If they are rare caterpillars then please put them back into nature :wink:

Respect for keeping it organic

 

[Donald Mallard]

High

I am growing mj and veggies in my gh this year. For the mites and bugs i can get natural predators , but i have caterpillars.

And if i spray for caterpillars, it kills the natural predators.

SO does anyone have any idea??
Cuz i have to eat those veggies and smoke those buds, don't want pesticides

This is a constant problem for growers in many areas, particularly with large crops . Between our collective we have tried many things, dipel, pyrethrum etc , even extra strength dipel, they all work ok initially but long term we found we had to swap from one to another to have an affectiveness . Even then without fully covering the area its hard to fully contain the caterpillers.

 

[Mr. Stinky]

You've obviously have never had an infestation of caterpillars. They tear through buds and shit every where. This shit leads to mold. This mold leads to catastrophic other problems, aka destroying 50% of a crop. I was picking upwards of 20+ caterpillars off one 2.5 foot plant a day (not to mention having to pick them off other plants as well).

The only thing that ever ended up working for me was spinosad. One spraying, and they were gone. I think i may have seen one or two after that spraying if that.

no trouble with caterpillars here. other bugs, birds, toads, etc eat em. i tend to let nature do its thing, and ive never had an "infestation" of anything. although i can understand wanting to poison them if they were ruining a crop.

 

[funkynuggets]

Caterpillars ruined my crop this year. Had to pick early and am putting another batch out doors. Thanks, I will try to use some of the organic pesticides as mentioned in this thread. Damnit am I upset over these bugs. Shit on everything and leads to mold. Cut out shit infested spots asap. Mold

 

[NOYB]

Bacillus thuringiensis will do the trick.

 

[Blue Dot]

Bacillus thuringiensis will do the trick.

yup