Yuko â?¹ Pests

[Esteban1]

Mates, never had these guys before & they're clipping me colitas. ☹ ..... Peace.




A few of these guys were plucked




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Leaving me this trash!





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Anyone out thar with a remedy?




& yea, I kilt it!

[Jbone77]

Dont know how far into flower you are but anything with BT in it will help, Safer brand caterpillar killer has BT in it. Pull as many as you can find and use something like that

[Esteban1]

BT? Would a "neem oil/soapy water" spray be on par?? Thanks for the quick reply! Btw, researched the topic & like ya said, been picking them off (5-6 to date & 1 a few days prior).

[catbuds]

From a side view; did it have little orange eyes running in a row up both sides? If so, that would be the tomato horn worm. Also would have a horn sticking straight up from the back end. Nasty hungry little pests. I hate chemicals, so I pick them off, drop them into a cup of soapy amonia water. You have to do this earl am if you decide this instead of chemicals. They still would have eaten on the leaves, but if early enough you can catch them before the get to plant stems. I use chems on everything surrounding my grow as an effort to keep bugs repelled. Bummed me out the few times I actually had to put any chems on my girls. I love soapy water spray. I always try to be 100% organic, but sometimes Mother Nature just tries to pick a fight with me! LOL!
~~~~~~~~PEACE!~~~~~~~~

[Esteban1]

Thanks, picked them off & squished 'em. Please don't tell me I screwed up by not dropping in soapy water! Will they rise from the dead?? Oh, no horns, know THEM very well..... were on my tomato plants last year! These were medium size. Think I got 'me all until the next round!

[Jbone77]

My understanding is that BT is organic, different manufacturers add different things to the sprays, some organic, some not, but safer brand is organic. I look at bugs like I look at powdery mildew, theyre easier to prevent than to get rid of. Neem works great for prevention but once you have something established on your plant you need to use something else. The BT will kill caterpillars and worms in a couple days and its cheap. You will keep finding them until they get all they can out of your plant.

[tlranger]

The trouble with a caterpillar invasion is they usually come from laid eggs, so you got to really look for the beggars when their tiny, so the chem industry wants you to spray, is BT a systemic deal, so not much help here.

But all the stuff it the pile, I'm thinking cut worm, and they can invade check all around.

[catbuds]

Oh no babe, I just like to watch 'em squirm! Nice & sloow my way! Doesn't really matter what kind they are, they all eat & die the same way. Yeah, you're probably good to go till next year. I've not seen any of the green caterpillars come out for a whole season. The ones I've seen have all been a quick one shot deal. Once they're gone, thats it. By the pic, looks like the little demon munched a lot of soft growth tips for you. Ohhh, I bet you were pissed!

[Jbone77]

Long read but this is what it does.
Environmentally Safe, Effective Worm Control

We should be cautious when using pesticides because, obviously, they are poisonous. If they weren't poisonous, pesticides wouldn't kill pests. There is, however, an alternative to pesticide use.

Insect larvae, or worms and caterpillars, can cause considerable damage to gardens. Good news! There is a pesticide which kills worms but is not poisonous to man or beast. The worm-killer is the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, or BT for short.

When ingested, BT produces a toxic substance within the cells of its victims. Only certain species of caterpillars are affected by BT. The infection occurs only when the caterpillars feed on plant foliage which is being protected by BT. Adult insects which feed mainly on plant nectar are not affected. Only the destructive caterpillars are killed; the good bugs are spared.

BT is not a merciful killer. Death is slow and painful. The first symptom experienced by a BT victim is "gut" paralysis. This means an immediate cessation of foliage ingestion. But BT doesn't stop there. Eventually, it causes a breakdown in the gut wall and leakage of contamination into the body cavity of the larvae. Since the body cavity tissues of a caterpillar are bathed by blood in an open circulatory system, the larval blood offers an ideal growing condition for growth of this contamination.

BT contamination produces spores which rapidly divide. In fact, a new generation of spores is produced every 20 minutes. Therefore, after just 12 hours, one spore can produce 6,719,476,736 new BT's. Obviously, this quantity needing nourishment from caterpillars has a devastating effect.

BT is terminal. All infected larvae become sick and most die. This is because insects do not have an effective immune system as humans and other mammals do. In theory, lack of an effective immune system dictates that susceptible species will not develop a resistance to BT.

Outward symptoms of caterpillars infected by BT are manifested as behavior, color and morphological changes. As soon as they are infected, larvae quit feeding. They usually move from their normal feeding sites to exposed leaf surfaces. Before dying, they become sluggish, discolored and usually exhibit regurgitation and diarrhea. Cadavers of large larvae become limp, but do not "liquefy" as viral-infected larvae do. Cadavers of small larvae are often difficult to find because they turn black and shriveled.

Usually, one taste of BT is enough to destroy susceptible larvae. However, in some instances a larva may not die from BT, but suffer a fate worse than death. These symptoms include:
A predisposition to other naturally occurring pathogens, such as other bacteria, fungi and viruses.
Starvation due to digestive track disruption.
Failure to pupate due to physiological malfunctions.
An increased susceptibility to predators and parasites as a result of sluggish movement and migration to exposed leaf surfaces.
Increased sensitivity to harsh climatic factors, such as high or low temperatures.
Reduced reproductive potential. Infected larvae that do successfully mature are abnormally small and weak adults. They are significantly less fertile than normal adults and incapable of successful mating.
Anything which causes as many horrible symptoms as BT does should certainly be respected. The alkaline pH gut (pH greater than 7.0) of susceptible caterpillars activates BT. Acid-gutted or stomached creatures cannot be affected; thus, humans and mammals are not in any way affected by BT. Only susceptible caterpillars have the necessary combination of pH, salts and enzymes in their digestive system to activate BT.

BT was discovered in 1915 by a German named Berliner. He isolated this unique pathogen and named it Bacillus thuringiensis after the town of Thuringia, Germany. BT is a naturally-occurring bacterium that causes a deadly disease specific to certain Lepidopterous (caterpillar) insects.

BT products do not have any of the hazards sometimes associated with chemical insecticides. BT is biodegradable in the environment, and rapidly deactivated in soil with a pH below 5.1. Rainfall, exposure to sunlight and, in some cases, the type of foliage on which it is sprayed may cause BT spores and crystals to lose their viability over time. The bacteria may remain effective for as long as 22 days, or may become ineffective after 24 hours, depending on conditions. Under normal conditions, BT products are active for three to seven days after spraying. In comprehensive spray programs on some crops, repeated application is recommended at regular intervals.

BT is available in local nurseries under the names of Thuricide, Dipel, Bactus, Biological Worm Control, Leptox, SOK, Novabac or Tribacture. Since BT is such an effective plant-damage deterrent, it should be spread around - especially on the surface of leaves. This can be accomplished by adding a teaspoon of liquid soap per gallon of spray. The soap breaks the surface tension on the leaf's surface and allows the BT product to spread evenly. This allows more leaf area to be protected by BT.

With BT, you can rid plants of those devastating worms without endangering yourself or the environment, a truly EARTH-KIND practice.¶

[Esteban1]

Very po'd @ 1st but chilled knowing its part of the cycle. Did get most of 'em. They
leave behind this black pellet like sh-t too. Cleaned all (yea cut some too.... yut... lol). Hopefully my karma has been good & positive vibes are redirected.

[catbuds]

I need something bigger than a cell phone screen to identify sm things, all I can see is a little bitty green worm, too sm. Eggs would have been laid on the underside of leaf. They hid, you seek. Trouble is, you usually don't see the eggs, & then you see the damage before you see the caterpillar. All you can do is start checking the undersides of foliage earlier next year. That's the problem with bugs & diseases, when things are going great, something new & different comes among & takes you by surprise.
& yeah, what Ranger said. You don't want to over look any late lurkers. Insecticides won't do you much good. The moths fly in, lay their eggs & take off. Systemics won't kill the 'pillers untill they eat the plant. Most insecticides won't kill 'pillers by contact, they usually have to ingest their poisons. Hey, chickens love 'em. You could always get a couple 'yard birds'! That's why mom & dad always had the garden by the chicken coop, & they fertilize as they go!
~~~~~~~~PEACE!~~~~~~~~

[tlranger]

I'm coming back out of concern, cut worm's are a different critter, and they invade from surroundings, most come in by land migrating from plant to plant, but have seen drop from plant above(example from tree above), most worms are there to feast, but all these do is chew through the stem and Denude the plant. With invasion possible I'm going to beg forgiveness, the diatomaceous earth may have helped, and I made light of it.:asskick:

[lipps]

Watch moisture around that shit because it has concentrated mold spores in it. We have tomato hornworms that look like that but they have a horn evil bastards destroy a tomato plant in short order. Look under the leaves for eggs and check with a garden center to see if the have predatory wasps that kill the eggs. .

[Esteban1]

Thanks bro, heavy azz rains last night..... Dealing with saggy bushes & tying them back up! Nice 24 hours eh?

[Esteban1]

I do! Don't get me wrong, there's a roll for all creatures big & small But they are frigg'n maddening! So, it rained like a mofo all night & did some tie ups this a.m. Upon daily inspection noticed a few things & voila..... Furry little caterpillars & a few eggs, yes.... Eggs (small as all heck) & with my fubar vision everything looks the same that close up. Like 2 wormies, 2 eggs & a another infiltrated flower..............& partridge in a pear tree. As much as I wanna spray with neem, worried that it will damage flowers?? Shovel, am I correct cuz saw many posts discouraging this?

[tlranger]

Haven fun yet, It's always fun till somebody gets hurt!!

Sorry but I'm still asking questions - furry?, color at stages differ, eating habit(like a horn worm?), this seems late for egg hatch-but then tiny tiny worms, size?

Sorry about ramble, got to get ready for wedding, check later.

[Esteban1]

Ranger, picked a few more smaller worms & yea they were "small & furry" & the eggs were obv small clear outer with a small black yolk. Any ideas? Peace

[catbuds]

I haven't seen a cut worm since I left W.V. But we do have unusually heavy populations of crow, blackbirds & starlings. They feed on shit like that. I remember my dad dusting our gardens with DE, sevin dust & lime. NOTHING survived that. I haven't seen sevin in years, but maybe you can find a substitute in a farm supply store. & seriously, 'yard birds' FEAST on any & all worms. Our stupid county ordinance won't allow even one pet chicken on less than an acre of land. I'm in the country, surrounded by farms, & with 7/10th of an acre, so no chickens allowed. Have to go up the road & bum a scoop of chicken crap for my compost. Big Brother wins again. I hate to advise anybody to use chems & toxions, but if you have cutworms? The predatory wasps are a good idea, but if cutworms are there & active, the wasps will have no effect on the worms that are doing the damage now, as they work by laying their eggs in the eggs of the cutworm, but by all means consider them as future prevention. One thing I haven't seen anybody mention.. ok, the cabbage worm is the larva of the cabbage butterfly/moth. Little white butterfly/moth that is active in the day. From what does the cutworm come? Nocturnal or day creature? Find this out for future reference & you'll be able to stop them before they start. Go online to the US agriculture dept. They have re ports & pics. There you will find your answers, we're all just poking around in the dark. Best of luck with this my friend. I have hope for your ladies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PEACE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Esteban1]

Yut, while digging around the back end of one plant found yet another infected flower ask well as 1 bud just rotted out from weather. These are small & green as shown in yesterday's post. They leave behind their excrement too. Also noticing my indica girlies are def ripening & thinking 'bout chopping 'em down soon!

[Esteban1]

Between pests & flower rot it's been fairly mind boggling. Here is a shot of the leaf damage. Again, this is a small furry like caterpillar.



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[catbuds]

Damned Este, I'm so sorry. Your girls were so BEAUTIFUL! Is there a lot of damage? I can tell they're not cutworms, horn worm because of the damage being more centralized rather than stems (cutworms) or starting on outside leaf edge (horn worms, most others). What the damage resembles is the cabbage worm. Sm & fuzzy, about 1/2", creamy greenish white, larva of cabbage butterfly/moth, day flight , NOT nocturnal. Sm white butterfly with a sm black spot on each back wing towards the bottom lower part. Their favorite food is cabbage, but they're not that picky, they'll munch anything, little bastards.

The damage fits. If the catapiller description fits, & you've seen thoes little white butterflys, post back asap.
~~~~~~~~~PEACE~~~~~~~~~

[Shovelhandle]

Safe and organic pest control.
Safer Products has a caterpillar soap, I believe. I use their fungus soap and insecticidal soap.
Tobacco, garlic, cumin, hot pepper.. Add one or more of these ingredients to water and steep a tea. Strain, add a couple of drops of dish detergent and spray over and under everywhere. Rinse everything off real good before harvest.

[Esteban1]

Thanks man, been picking them off here & there. The damage is fairly sparse at this point. Think I should spray?

[catbuds]

Oh yeah, the bud rot thing. How many bud (%) seem to be affected? When you posted about the hard all night rain a while back I was concerned about that. I figured your buds would be dense enough to not be able to dry on the inside & this might happen. My questions are about your grow area. If you ran a line above your girls, got a very large sheet of clear or white plastic (I get it on a roll, 20X100'), put the plastic on the line over the girls like a tent, slide it all the way back to one side to uncover in good weather, then slide to back over them before the rain, weighting the edges down very well, would that be visible to prying eyes? My next thought would be 5gal buckets & drag them into the garage, porch or other cover before a rain. I know, smaller plants, less harvest, more work, but hey, no bud rot. You might want to consider at least a few in buckets for next year, with the east coast being what it is for torrential rains & hurricanes. Hurricane last fall took 1/2 of my garage roof, severely damaged house roof, took out 7 large trees & put them on top of my well & rotted all my buds. Seems to get worse every year.

Shovel gave you good advice. If you can make a positive ID on thoes nasty little buggers, call your local ag extention office & see what they recommend. But what ever that would be, I'm sure it would be a poison, so wash well before harvest. Might as well have a full arsenal. If you can't narrow down an ID, put one in a baggie & take it into local ag office, tell them they're destroying your whole garden. So close & now this. Wish I there to help.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PEACE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

[Esteban1]

CB, please, freaking me out..... seriously lol. Been a farmer for quite some time now. To answer your question only a very, very small amount of rot v caterpillars. Like 3 -5 nice sized colas down to beasties & maybe 3 sep flowers down to rot. It's part of growing, "acceptable loss"! Reminding me of senior high teacher expecting perfection. Truly, all's well.

[MrGrowBig]

I just got the same problem here on the west coast last week. They took over the entire GDP plant in a few days. I have what are called corn earworms. They dig down into the middle of the bud and feed and poop all over the inside. I had to cut around 5 good sized colas in half to remove all of the poop they left. I kept finding them here and there so I just sprayed with Safer brand caterpillar killer. Its 100% organic, and it kills all of those nasty pests in about 2 days..

Once you find some, you have AT LEAST 5x more, so don't take your chances. Just spray once with the organic spray, remove all the poop infested buds, and it will be over.

Kill any moths in the area, and check for new eggs every few days so they dont come back.

[Jbone77]

Good advice MrGrowBig, suggested the exact same organic remedy a few days ago when his problem started. He doesnt want to use it, would suggest creating a new tequila with a couple of em in it at this point to help offset the losses.

[catbuds]

Anything organic rocks my world hate, did I say HATE chemicals. Este, you probably haven't noticed, but I'm kind of a worry wart. Your girls are so beautiful & I was freakin'! You scared me first, so now we're even! Hey, that rhymes! But seriously, would the tent thing be do-able. Since its nearly harvest, maybe next year? Bud rot & fungus blows man! Glad everything's cool now. Stop scaring me! LOL!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~PEACE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Jbone77]

THCuila would be a great name, fat green worm in the bottom, give it a green tint, put a cork in it shaped like a big fat bud. Make millions.

[catbuds]

Yeah Este! What Jbone said! LMAO! I'll buy a bottle & save you the worm, you can bite its little head off & call that sweet revenge! Good one Jbone!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~PEACE!~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[catbuds]

Ok Este, you're scaring me again. You've been MIA for 2 wks now. That's not like you.....say something.
----Worried.