green bud eating caterpillars
- Thread starter bicycle racer
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JeffSpicoli
ive used both BT and spinosad, and i found spinosad to be much more effective...
Anyone heard/read something about a certain type of wood chipping/ wood nugs that are supposed to keep the moths/ caterpillars away???
I remember a while back reading about a type of bark that worked well against caterpillars.
Anyone heard/read something about a certain type of wood chipping/ wood nugs that are supposed to keep the moths/ caterpillars away???
I remember a while back reading about a type of bark that worked well against caterpillars.
bicycle racer
Member
thanks to all for there info i sprayed spinosad. i did find a few dead in buds but as others mentioned no way to spray deep in the buds. so fuck me im trying to speed towards harvest next time i will spray bt and spinosad togethre at intervals. these things do damage everyone speaks of spider mites or thrips i find these cats to be much more destructive imo.
durgamata
Member
Anyone interested in Early prevention, try AZAMAX or a simliar product that interrupts the feeding and breeding cycle, then the caterpillars cannot eat as much or get larger.
Azamax is systemic, so it stays with the plant once absorbed, and anything that eats the plant is then affected. They cannot grow to mature size, this dosnt prevent the caterpillars but it stops them from getting those munchies and growing large enough to eventually transform and escape as a moth.
This also helps against Spider mites, a few applications during vegative season and your coverd until harvest
Azamax is systemic, so it stays with the plant once absorbed, and anything that eats the plant is then affected. They cannot grow to mature size, this dosnt prevent the caterpillars but it stops them from getting those munchies and growing large enough to eventually transform and escape as a moth.
This also helps against Spider mites, a few applications during vegative season and your coverd until harvest
diamondmine
Member
After finding approx. one cat every week during veg I started using BT about once a week and haven't found any since(crossed-fingers). I am seeing tons of moths flying around still so now I spray every 5 days. I also spray neem around the plants and a very small amount on them since they're flowering, but I do this because I think the moths avoid the smell.
Also I believe you can see the moth eggs if you look at the buds they're right on top in the hairs like a little tiny drop of honey not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.
Also I believe you can see the moth eggs if you look at the buds they're right on top in the hairs like a little tiny drop of honey not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.
Shangri-la
Member
Thanks for the tip on the Azamax. I'll probably give that a try next season.
I'm using Safer Brand Caterpillar killer (BT). 4 tsps./gallon. Nightly.
Monterey Garden Spinosad twice a week. Even with all of the spraying, it's been a losing battle on my Legends Ultimate Indicas. I've been pulling them down over the last few days as the ripening to cat induced mold ratio is no longer acceptable. I've found a dozen live cats during trimming over the past four days.
Fortunately, my F-13's have been hit the least. Also, Willie Nelson is so early into flowering, the moths/cats aren't interested....yet.
.....Back to trimming.
I'm using Safer Brand Caterpillar killer (BT). 4 tsps./gallon. Nightly.
Monterey Garden Spinosad twice a week. Even with all of the spraying, it's been a losing battle on my Legends Ultimate Indicas. I've been pulling them down over the last few days as the ripening to cat induced mold ratio is no longer acceptable. I've found a dozen live cats during trimming over the past four days.
Fortunately, my F-13's have been hit the least. Also, Willie Nelson is so early into flowering, the moths/cats aren't interested....yet.
.....Back to trimming.
bicycle racer
Member
its strain specific the level of damage they prefer indica dom plants i feel. anyways the spinosad is a winner i sprayed as i mentioned a few days ago. i do bud surgery removing dead and dying material at the same time trying to find cats i find some dead some alive so at the very least i killed a few of them i hope to harvest in a week or two. next time i will spray more often in the early stages when buds are not dense with spinosad and bt on alternating spray cycles. i think if this is done there should be minimal issues imo. any advice welcome please chime in.
sorry to hear your troubles shangri-la. I'll be interested to hear how you think this affected your overall harvest when all is said and done. good luck.
that is the plan I have been on , racer. i started about half way through the stretch. so far zero caterpillars found. we check every day by pulling the buds back off the top colas.
i am a little paranoid, though. every morning there are wispy little silk webs from bud to bud on many colas. must be from spiders. no rot... no dead looking leaves... no preponderance of cat poop... could I be missing something.
that is the plan I have been on , racer. i started about half way through the stretch. so far zero caterpillars found. we check every day by pulling the buds back off the top colas.
i am a little paranoid, though. every morning there are wispy little silk webs from bud to bud on many colas. must be from spiders. no rot... no dead looking leaves... no preponderance of cat poop... could I be missing something.
diamondmine
Member
Them cats only move up or down don't they. I was looking at the directions for BT and it actually says to apply from 3-10 days so you could be right about the sun breaking it down in a day.
beer batter
Member
i look for dots of poo and/or damage when gently puling clusters apart, they move up or down how they want but the problem is if theirs 2,3 cats in a branches top clustered around. moths lay several eggs and their could be cat sstarting from the top and half way down the branches.
beer batter
Member
I’m still taking down some tips infested with tiny brown worms and medium green worms and some fatter green worms, I found the problem last Friday just a few worms on the tip of a masterkush top -a lower branch about eye level (I think of them as maggots not worms, like a caner to the plant) inspecting the other eye level branches I found lots of worms on the outside and in-between the dense masterkush with some dry buds where the worm went and sucked the stem dry/hollow.
I've been working landscaping for my moms friend so I haven’t been hunting full time for cats but yesterday I got my ass on top of the back of the shed and made my way into the TGU plant that grew a few feet over-on top the roof of the shed. Tied some branches up that had been wounded by the course sand paper like roofing, I pulled out a lot of worms and took some brown tops and chopped some top buds off that where infested of damaged. We could get rain in a week and I wanted to get the bulk of the infestation/damage taken care of to avoid throwing so much in the garbage.
I was talking with my parents about it being partners in this, having taken the tops down last year about this time to avoid rot loss and ended up keeping all of the infested tops I took down -even if it was pre-mature very sugary hash material. Our masterkush has matured faster the TGU that’s got massive clustering and still all white hairs, our GDP has maybe 20-15% or fewer white hairs and looks to be a few week away, Maui is 4-5 weeks from harvest, masterkush is about 4 weeks and TGU is 4-6 weeks away -its got the most sun, no shade from surrounding trees, I only have worms infested in TGU and Masterkush. GDP and Maui seem to be unaffected with only 1 bud on each affected.
My mom had some insight I had thought a lot about since talking to her, lavender is used to repel ants and she indicated other bugs might be disinterested in its sent or just because its harder to find then the towering Godzilla-like TGU’s -their sugary/hash/floral sent from TGU I suspected attracted the worms last year and chicken bullion maturing to a sweet gumbo aroma of the Masterkush -I swear its like chicken stock or something now it reminds me of the gumbo I’ve had in Disneyland at their Louisiana area. -Also somewhat like trainwreck how it can have a gumbo aroma.
I was out Friday night with a head-lamp bandana thing to see what I’m looking at and free up my hands, I was taking down buds gently ravaging them puling the bud cluster back from the stem looking for the damage before they crawl around eat and poop in more of the branches. I saw the queen/moth, it would of been sweet to take a picture of him or even get him with some pyrithrins spray -I had a shovel near by and smaked him, he flew back into the gutter next to the plant on the corner of the house. -The moth wasn’t like any you see at the window, it was as big as a fat bee and its eyes glow in the light like a cats eyes -it was hovering ate on huge top cluster and flicking its abdomen like its laying eggs.
They might be able to lay eggs under the leafs too so be sure to spray both side of the leafs/blades. I noticed some worms had been hiding under some sugar leafs and crawl into the bud right their, I probably took out 30 in the last 3 days or so. Luckily not as much tops are infested and I haven't cut as much down as last season.
The problem I have is these bastards where developing less then a week after spraying safer’s cat killer, maybe it’s just a problem with the bottle I have. I used 4tsp per gallon and less then a week later I have cats at least a few days old damaging my tops. I got some ortho ecosence brand outdoor bug killer (pyrethrins and canola oil) cause the bug buster-o was not available with labeling issues. So i'm buying a new bottle of safer's cat killer cause the only problem I could think of was one time I left the lid off for like 10-15min while I sprayed, rushing threw I forgot to cap the bottle and thought little about it at the time.
I've been working landscaping for my moms friend so I haven’t been hunting full time for cats but yesterday I got my ass on top of the back of the shed and made my way into the TGU plant that grew a few feet over-on top the roof of the shed. Tied some branches up that had been wounded by the course sand paper like roofing, I pulled out a lot of worms and took some brown tops and chopped some top buds off that where infested of damaged. We could get rain in a week and I wanted to get the bulk of the infestation/damage taken care of to avoid throwing so much in the garbage.
I was talking with my parents about it being partners in this, having taken the tops down last year about this time to avoid rot loss and ended up keeping all of the infested tops I took down -even if it was pre-mature very sugary hash material. Our masterkush has matured faster the TGU that’s got massive clustering and still all white hairs, our GDP has maybe 20-15% or fewer white hairs and looks to be a few week away, Maui is 4-5 weeks from harvest, masterkush is about 4 weeks and TGU is 4-6 weeks away -its got the most sun, no shade from surrounding trees, I only have worms infested in TGU and Masterkush. GDP and Maui seem to be unaffected with only 1 bud on each affected.
My mom had some insight I had thought a lot about since talking to her, lavender is used to repel ants and she indicated other bugs might be disinterested in its sent or just because its harder to find then the towering Godzilla-like TGU’s -their sugary/hash/floral sent from TGU I suspected attracted the worms last year and chicken bullion maturing to a sweet gumbo aroma of the Masterkush -I swear its like chicken stock or something now it reminds me of the gumbo I’ve had in Disneyland at their Louisiana area. -Also somewhat like trainwreck how it can have a gumbo aroma.
I was out Friday night with a head-lamp bandana thing to see what I’m looking at and free up my hands, I was taking down buds gently ravaging them puling the bud cluster back from the stem looking for the damage before they crawl around eat and poop in more of the branches. I saw the queen/moth, it would of been sweet to take a picture of him or even get him with some pyrithrins spray -I had a shovel near by and smaked him, he flew back into the gutter next to the plant on the corner of the house. -The moth wasn’t like any you see at the window, it was as big as a fat bee and its eyes glow in the light like a cats eyes -it was hovering ate on huge top cluster and flicking its abdomen like its laying eggs.
They might be able to lay eggs under the leafs too so be sure to spray both side of the leafs/blades. I noticed some worms had been hiding under some sugar leafs and crawl into the bud right their, I probably took out 30 in the last 3 days or so. Luckily not as much tops are infested and I haven't cut as much down as last season.
The problem I have is these bastards where developing less then a week after spraying safer’s cat killer, maybe it’s just a problem with the bottle I have. I used 4tsp per gallon and less then a week later I have cats at least a few days old damaging my tops. I got some ortho ecosence brand outdoor bug killer (pyrethrins and canola oil) cause the bug buster-o was not available with labeling issues. So i'm buying a new bottle of safer's cat killer cause the only problem I could think of was one time I left the lid off for like 10-15min while I sprayed, rushing threw I forgot to cap the bottle and thought little about it at the time.
2 weeks left so don't want to fuck my shit up.
beer batter
Member
I read more and sprayed 4tbs of bt per gallon with a few bottle of rtu ortho ecosence brand outdoor bug killer and then I went back over the crop with another 1.5 gallons this time 4tsp of bt per gallon and 4tsp of serenade for the other half gallon to fill up the sprayer I use. yesterday and the 2 days before I've been taking the very tips of the huge tops and pulling out worms in various stages-sizes cutting out any damage. i spray at night cause the bugs are most active -ill update tomorrow but i dont beleave its a problem as someone pointed out in an other thread, i shake the plants sometimes after spraying at night. im geting alot of worms falling from the lines i huge to dry, after a few days. i could tap the line and watch a few dark object fling to the ground. i pulled some oif the bud apart and cleaned out the cats but i dotn want to remove all the oil and hash looking for cats from buds i just took down, they will mostly fall out and what i dont wunna smoke ill hash whats rotten is trash.
beer batter
Member
I was looking at some pictures of dif moths, I believe what I saw was the corn-ear worm moth http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/misc/cewmoth.html
I started looking here http://www.hungrypests.com/faq-GM.html
I was told last year that they are corn-ear worms, either that or a genetically modified organism breed by the government to eradicate marijuana **just kidding, it makes me wonder if corn farmers are even trying to control this outbreak. Ok maybe its not an outbreak but its a huge problem from central to northern Cali an probably coast 2 coast, a major problem for medical marijuana. I'm interested how corn farmers protect their crops and how that would differ from growing medical marijuana that we eat and smoke. My mom had said maybe the moths think the tops are like corn -their sweet and tall just like corn, they are nocturnal so its they don’t have much light to see what their laying eggs on.
If theirs pheromone traps, ill have to look into these things. The worms are problematic as they develop in the buds but the moths are elusive and only show up at night and who knows where they rest during the day. I’m sure it’s a huge/fat moth not like the thin or tiny ones. If it’s a corn earworm then it’s really not an invasive pest, but its still a damb big problem for California agriculture. The thousands plant gardens in national/state parks hills and mountains don’t help at all, they provide breeding grounds for pests like this.
I started looking here http://www.hungrypests.com/faq-GM.html
I was told last year that they are corn-ear worms, either that or a genetically modified organism breed by the government to eradicate marijuana **just kidding, it makes me wonder if corn farmers are even trying to control this outbreak. Ok maybe its not an outbreak but its a huge problem from central to northern Cali an probably coast 2 coast, a major problem for medical marijuana. I'm interested how corn farmers protect their crops and how that would differ from growing medical marijuana that we eat and smoke. My mom had said maybe the moths think the tops are like corn -their sweet and tall just like corn, they are nocturnal so its they don’t have much light to see what their laying eggs on.
If theirs pheromone traps, ill have to look into these things. The worms are problematic as they develop in the buds but the moths are elusive and only show up at night and who knows where they rest during the day. I’m sure it’s a huge/fat moth not like the thin or tiny ones. If it’s a corn earworm then it’s really not an invasive pest, but its still a damb big problem for California agriculture. The thousands plant gardens in national/state parks hills and mountains don’t help at all, they provide breeding grounds for pests like this.
beer batter
Member
ill take some time reading but here is info on corn-ear worm/moth pheromones and what may be another controle method...
"Ma’s solution is to prevent any of the sex attractant
http://msucares.com/pubs/highlights/spring2002/corn.pdf
ehow.com has tips aswell;
Step 1
Till the garden soil in the fall and spring to disturb the pupa's developmental cycle. weather, wind or birds will kill the exposed pupa.
Step 2
Observe the developing ears of corn for signs of infestation, such as active larvae, eggs or excessive excrement on the corn tassel. Pick larvae off plants and squash them or drop into a bucket of bleach.
Step 3
Suffocate unseen larvae by applying an eyedropper full of mineral oil to the top of each ear of corn.
Step 4
Determine the possible rate of infestation by catching adult moths in two pheromone traps placed along the moths' flight path. If five to ten moths are caught total in both traps on consecutive nights, then it is likely an infestation will occur that will need some type of pest control.
Step 5
Kill eggs by releasing trichogramma wasps. The wasps will devour previously laid corn earworm eggs in the corn silk.
Step 6
Take weekly preventative action by spraying the corn tassels with beneficial nematodes, dipel dust or insect spray until the silk turns brown. This should keep the larvae from developing on the ears of corn.
Step 7
Remove and burn infested cobs of corn to destroy the larvae and eggs. At the end of the growing season, cut down and dispose of all cornstalks. Till the remains into the ground, destroying the key earworm larvae habitat.
The wasps would help preventively like pheromones or turning over the soil a few times in the off season, spraying for them is a defensive measure also could be preventive -I was thinking if bugs don’t like lavender how would plants do if they had a bit of lavender soaked in the water and strained out before mixing the juice to spray. -It’s a huge IF the moths don’t like it, ants generally don’t like the stuff. It seems theirs really now way to have full control, just lower ratio of crop damage being more vigilant and inspect often but not destroying that trichombs robbing the medicine of its oils looking for pests. Its a balance game looking for cats and not lowering potency of the meds getting all the sticky on my fingers.
"Ma’s solution is to prevent any of the sex attractant
from being made in the insect at all.
“If we can disrupt the synthesis of pheromone, we
can in theory interfere with mating and egg laying,”
Ma said."“If we can disrupt the synthesis of pheromone, we
can in theory interfere with mating and egg laying,”
http://msucares.com/pubs/highlights/spring2002/corn.pdf
ehow.com has tips aswell;
Step 1
Till the garden soil in the fall and spring to disturb the pupa's developmental cycle. weather, wind or birds will kill the exposed pupa.
Step 2
Observe the developing ears of corn for signs of infestation, such as active larvae, eggs or excessive excrement on the corn tassel. Pick larvae off plants and squash them or drop into a bucket of bleach.
Step 3
Suffocate unseen larvae by applying an eyedropper full of mineral oil to the top of each ear of corn.
Step 4
Determine the possible rate of infestation by catching adult moths in two pheromone traps placed along the moths' flight path. If five to ten moths are caught total in both traps on consecutive nights, then it is likely an infestation will occur that will need some type of pest control.
Step 5
Kill eggs by releasing trichogramma wasps. The wasps will devour previously laid corn earworm eggs in the corn silk.
Step 6
Take weekly preventative action by spraying the corn tassels with beneficial nematodes, dipel dust or insect spray until the silk turns brown. This should keep the larvae from developing on the ears of corn.
Step 7
Remove and burn infested cobs of corn to destroy the larvae and eggs. At the end of the growing season, cut down and dispose of all cornstalks. Till the remains into the ground, destroying the key earworm larvae habitat.
The wasps would help preventively like pheromones or turning over the soil a few times in the off season, spraying for them is a defensive measure also could be preventive -I was thinking if bugs don’t like lavender how would plants do if they had a bit of lavender soaked in the water and strained out before mixing the juice to spray. -It’s a huge IF the moths don’t like it, ants generally don’t like the stuff. It seems theirs really now way to have full control, just lower ratio of crop damage being more vigilant and inspect often but not destroying that trichombs robbing the medicine of its oils looking for pests. Its a balance game looking for cats and not lowering potency of the meds getting all the sticky on my fingers.
