Anybody have any experience with caterpillar infestation? I got nailed good by Moths or butterflies of something. They are hatch out of my buds, eating the little stem that attach's the small sections of bud to the main stem of the bud. Then you have a dead section of the bud about the size of a nickel. Then they start up the bud, borrowing into the buds on the way up and eating the little stem again and killing part of the buds. I have a lot of buds with holes in them and some have the tops eaten off. Not wanting to spray anything on the buds, I tried search and destroy for about a week, but I could hardly keep up with them. Even found one that had gotten past me and had started to spin a cocoon around itself. Well I broke down and bought some neem oil. Mixed two table spoons onto a gallon of water and sprayed. Figured I'd rain on the plants every day for a few days before harvest to wash them off. Got rid of the little crawly buggers pretty good. Didn't really see any for two days. Now they are back, still hatching and crawling out onto the plant. However, some of them now seem to have taken to not coming out on the surface where the neem oil is, and are burrowing their way up the center of the bud killing all in their path. If I see some damage, and I peel the bud open and scratch around I would usually find one or two hiding in there, and I could pick them out with my tweezers. I don't know what to do. I don't want to loose my whole crop to these buggers. I need this for cancer meds. Can anybody help? Please.
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Killer Caterpillars!
- Thread starter Guarnera
- Start date
THCforus
Member
sorry this is happening to you bud.
Iv'e dealt with 2 different kinds of caterpillars, thrips, spider mites, 3 different colors of leaf hoppers and 2 different kinds of aphids outdoors this year.
After the beneficials do there best your still left with a good amount of damage unfortunately.
All i did was hand pick the caterpillars out every day and just keep the plants as healthy as can be so they grow more leaves faster than the bugs can do damage.
i dont like pesticides and fungicides either, but i had no choice but to use some immunox a couple times early on to stay ahead of the P.M. and bud rot.
Sorry i couldn't be more help, but i feel ya. the caterpillars do suck dont they? relentless little bastards with a huge appetite.
best of luck.
Just keep picking them out as much as possible.
Iv'e dealt with 2 different kinds of caterpillars, thrips, spider mites, 3 different colors of leaf hoppers and 2 different kinds of aphids outdoors this year.
After the beneficials do there best your still left with a good amount of damage unfortunately.
All i did was hand pick the caterpillars out every day and just keep the plants as healthy as can be so they grow more leaves faster than the bugs can do damage.
i dont like pesticides and fungicides either, but i had no choice but to use some immunox a couple times early on to stay ahead of the P.M. and bud rot.
Sorry i couldn't be more help, but i feel ya. the caterpillars do suck dont they? relentless little bastards with a huge appetite.
best of luck.
Just keep picking them out as much as possible.
MelloYello
Active member
Rotate weekly with Spinosad and B.T. until harvest.
They are back!
They are back!
So the neem oil worked for a day or two. But now new ones are hatching and some are coming out to the surface like they all did before. But know some of them that I guess don't care for the neem oil, are just burrowing their up the center of the bud and killing all the bud on the way up. I have been looking for any sign od damage. Even just a little dead leaf sticking out of the bud, then I peel the bud open in that spot, and work my way up. I usually find one or two inside and can pick them out with a tweezers. What is Spinosad, and B.T.? Where do I get it? And is it safe to use on buds until harvest? Will it wash off with a couple of good heavy misting until they drip ? How does it work? The problem with the neem oil is it didn't do anything to get the eggs and more would hatch, and take over. I'm willing to try anything that's safe. I have a week to a week in a half till I harvest my first type of indica. I need to make RSO out of this for cancer treatment. I don't want to concentrate any poisons in the oil. So please let me know what it is and where to get it. Thank you very much.
They are back!
So the neem oil worked for a day or two. But now new ones are hatching and some are coming out to the surface like they all did before. But know some of them that I guess don't care for the neem oil, are just burrowing their up the center of the bud and killing all the bud on the way up. I have been looking for any sign od damage. Even just a little dead leaf sticking out of the bud, then I peel the bud open in that spot, and work my way up. I usually find one or two inside and can pick them out with a tweezers. What is Spinosad, and B.T.? Where do I get it? And is it safe to use on buds until harvest? Will it wash off with a couple of good heavy misting until they drip ? How does it work? The problem with the neem oil is it didn't do anything to get the eggs and more would hatch, and take over. I'm willing to try anything that's safe. I have a week to a week in a half till I harvest my first type of indica. I need to make RSO out of this for cancer treatment. I don't want to concentrate any poisons in the oil. So please let me know what it is and where to get it. Thank you very much.
Went to Lowe's. They had Spinosad in the form of Uncle Jacks Dead Bug Brew. What it was, was a bottle of water with .001% Spinosad in it for 9 bucks. Got a couple of bottles and sprayed all my plants. I couldn't find any B.T. I'll have check around tomorrow. I did some research on both of these, so my last post is moot. Sounds like good stuff. I also found a site that has eggs of a little parasite 1/50th of an inch wing span. They hatch and go hunting for butterfly and moth eggs, and lay they own eggs inside. When they hatch they eat the caterpillar larva, and then fly away in search of other food. Next year I'll be ready for them. I'm glad to be able to use something that we know is not harmful to humans. Thank you all very much.
JointOperation
Active member
yup.. this is a huge problem this year.. last year.. i didnt have a single issue with anything besides thrips.. this year. infested
They seem to be the only thing around here that bothers my garden. Last year I had a few. So few I didn't even notice them. When I harvested and were trimming I noticed a few dead spots in some buds, but didn't realize what it was until this year. No they just keep coming and coming. We will see how the Spinosad works. Next year I'll be ready for them. Have a nice day.
MelloYello
Active member
You can get Spinosad and B.T. direct from Monterey, the manufacturer, in Fresno. Or, Peaceful Valley in Grass Valley, actually has it cheaper.
One gallon Spinosad per quart of B.T. is the ratio you want to order.
Use spinosad at 2 ounces per gallon the first week. Then, B.T. at 1/2 ounce per gallon the next. Continue alternating until harvest.
Harbor Freight and $200 will get you this 15 gallon electric sprayer, the wagon and the tie-downs.
One gallon Spinosad per quart of B.T. is the ratio you want to order.
Use spinosad at 2 ounces per gallon the first week. Then, B.T. at 1/2 ounce per gallon the next. Continue alternating until harvest.
Harbor Freight and $200 will get you this 15 gallon electric sprayer, the wagon and the tie-downs.
Steven Seagul
New member
Lots of caterpillars here also. Mostly green ones, some black too. They eat just stems & buds, not interested in leaves at all.
My growshop don't have BT nor Spinosad, the guy suggested me to spray with tobacco or hot pepper. But I'm concerned about the taste of the buds, what do you think?
My growshop don't have BT nor Spinosad, the guy suggested me to spray with tobacco or hot pepper. But I'm concerned about the taste of the buds, what do you think?
MelloYello
Active member
Go somewhere besides the Grow Shop and get the spinosad and b.t.
for next year at begining of planting cut a piece of plastic pvc pipe about 3 - 4 inches long then cut a slit in it long ways & put it around the stalk vertical, when the caterpillars hatch & try to climb up they cant grip the pvc pipe & get up it,
& for a snail & slug problem: bare copper wire wrapped around the stalks will keep snails & slugs from climbing up the stalks too something to do with their slime on their bodies & copper it shocks them works extremely well.
& for a snail & slug problem: bare copper wire wrapped around the stalks will keep snails & slugs from climbing up the stalks too something to do with their slime on their bodies & copper it shocks them works extremely well.
MelloYello
Active member
Moths and butterfly lay their eggs on the leaves.
Run a nice bug zapper near the garden. Every moth you zap at night, is 1 less who can lay eggs on the leaves.
Personally it has made a huge difference the last few years, just got to be sure to turn it on early in flower, not after your finding them in the flowers.
Also spend time removing fan leaves as it gets close to mutarity. Less leaves for them to land on and lay eggs, as well you will run into leaves with eggs and remove them before they hatch. I've seen a leaf with a 100+ eggs on it. Sort of look like honeycomb the way the eggs laid out on the leaf.
Hand pick them, salvage, pull a bit early.
Mr^^
Personally it has made a huge difference the last few years, just got to be sure to turn it on early in flower, not after your finding them in the flowers.
Also spend time removing fan leaves as it gets close to mutarity. Less leaves for them to land on and lay eggs, as well you will run into leaves with eggs and remove them before they hatch. I've seen a leaf with a 100+ eggs on it. Sort of look like honeycomb the way the eggs laid out on the leaf.
Hand pick them, salvage, pull a bit early.
Mr^^
From what it looks like to me, here anyway, is that the moths or butterfly's layed their eggs in the buds before they started to fill in. Now the caterpillars are hatching inside the buds, and eating their way up the bud. Next year I'll be ready for them. The bug zapper is a great idea. Plus I found a sight that that sells beneficial insects, and they have a parasite that is a tiny fly. 1/50" wing to wing. They hatch, fly around looking for caterpillar eggs and larva, and lay their eggs inside them. Then they hatch and eat the larva, and then fly away looking for more larva to eat. Between them and the two sprays and a zapper, hopefully I'll be alright next year.
B
buddymate
We have chopped a plot that had loads of caterpillars of different species on it,i like butterflies and moths so wasnt prepared to spray the plants just to kill a few caterpillars,they are welcome to have a munch 
Well, they are not welcome in my garden. I hate killing things. Even bugs. But when it comes to my meds, It's them or me. Here's what worked for me.
Neem Oil- Got rid of them for a day or two. Then they came back with a vengeance.
Spinosad- Worked pretty good, Slowed them down a bit.
B.T.- Worked Great. Pretty much killed them all.
Neem Oil- Got rid of them for a day or two. Then they came back with a vengeance.
Spinosad- Worked pretty good, Slowed them down a bit.
B.T.- Worked Great. Pretty much killed them all.
they kill the caterpillers and they also eat the eggs... 
