Episode: # 11 16/06/07
Presenter: Judy Horton

Judy is often asked whether it is worth trying to get rid of caterpillars. Sometimes the answer is: ‘Don’t worry, one or two caterpillars won’t eat much and there is always the chance that they will turn into beautiful butterflies’. But there is one type of caterpillar that comes in such huge numbers and does so much damage that control is mandatory.

It is called the lily caterpillar.

Lily caterpillars start by chewing the leaf surfaces on plants like clivias. Then, as they grow, they eat more and more, and get bigger and bigger until they chew right down to the base of the plant. At this stage it is quite common for the plant to rot away completely. So you can see why it is so important to get rid of them.

You don’t need anything very strong. Simply use some pyrethrum, which is a natural insecticide. It is fairly gentle and not very long lasting but it will work well on the creatures. Make sure that you spray thoroughly, and saturate the base of the plant because they often hide right down there.

One final tip: plants that have suffered a lot damage have to re-grow a lot of leaves, so give them a good feed to help them on their way.

Featured Product

Yates Ready to Use Pyrethrum

• Kills a wide range of insect pests on vegetables, flowers, ornamentals and indoor plants.
• Low toxic.
• Based on natural pyrethrum daisy extract.
• Fast knockdown of pests
• Non residual.
• Easy-to-use trigger pack - no mixingrequired, no mess.www.yates.com.au