What Type Of Caterpillar Is This?

[JetsetBkk]

I noticed this caterpillar in a friend's garden and thought it was pretty, and then he showed me dozens of the little buggers all over the place, and the plants that he reckons have been eaten by them.

They've only been there a few days and if they've killed the plants that my friend reckons, then by next week his garden will be more like Patong beach than an English country garden, albeit with some banana trees.

So does anyone know what they are called, what they eat and, if they are going to eat the garden, how to get rid of them?

[chinnotes]

This is the caterpillar of a so-called tussock moth, a member of the Lymantriidae family. They are "voracious eaters capable of defoliating entire forests…"

Which exact species it is I cannot say.

On what plants are they found?

While the caterpillars look quite beautoful (to my eyes at least) the moths themselves are rather inconspicuous...

Erwin

Edited January 6, 2010 by chinnotes

[chinnotes]

I am sorry, I must correct myself. In the meantime I found on a Thai website a picture of the same or a very close caterpillar, it belongs to the family Lasiocampidae (lappet moths), genus Trabala:

http://www.siamensis.org/images/webboard_i...reply_84187.jpg

Erwin

Edited January 6, 2010 by chinnotes

[GungaDin]

Spray all plants with a Neem solution

particularly the underside of the leaves.

The Neem will take up to a week to have an effect on the cats/bugs.

Re-apply in 7 days.

Good luck.

[JetsetBkk]

This is the caterpillar of a so-called tussock moth, a member of the Lymantriidae family. They are "voracious eaters capable of defoliating entire forests…"

Which exact species it is I cannot say.

On what plants are they found?

While the caterpillars look quite beautoful (to my eyes at least) the moths themselves are rather inconspicuous...

Erwin

Sorry, don't know the name of the plant that died, but it was a climbing plant that was trained to go around a frame in the garden. A large portion of it is now brown and dead.

There are lots of other plants covered in them, but I didn't really see many half-eaten leaves although my friend assures me the plants were much greener a short time ago.

I agree, they are very beautiful as were the beetles that destroyed the 3 coconut trees and another tree in my garden, and some trees in neighbours' gardens.

Strange how so many plants and insects grow so huge, so quickly in Thailand and yet the people are generally so small.

[JetsetBkk]

Spray all plants with a Neem solution

particularly the underside of the leaves.

The Neem will take up to a week to have an effect on the cats/bugs.

Re-apply in 7 days.

Good luck.

Thanks for the info, Gunga - my friend now knows the name of the stuff to try.

Another friend suggested Chlorox bleach. A bit harsh, I thought, but I suppose if you're going to kill 'em all, one way is as good as another.

Unless you're a Buddhist and believe you will be reincarnated as each of the insects and animals that you have killed during your life as a human being. That's gotta hurt.

[GungaDin]

The bleach is a big no-no.

Does yr mate know how Neem works?

[JetsetBkk]

The bleach is a big no-no.

Does yr mate know how Neem works?

Yeah, we both know how Neem works. It enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.

Obviously insects that are too confused to eat or breed will not survive. The population eventually plummets, and they disappear. The cycle is broken.

Not that I just Googled it or nuffink.

[GungaDin]

The bleach is a big no-no.

Does yr mate know how Neem works?

Yeah, we both know how Neem works. It enters the system and blocks the real hormones from working properly. Insects "forget" to eat, to mate, or they stop laying eggs. Some forget that they can fly. If eggs are produced they don't hatch, or the larvae don't moult.

Obviously insects that are too confused to eat or breed will not survive. The population eventually plummets, and they disappear. The cycle is broken.

Not that I just Googled it or nuffink.

Google is our fwend...

For a neem garden spray 0.5% to 1% is a good general purpose solution. Depending on the purpose you may want to increase that to up to 2%.

Use your own observations and common sense. Keep in mind that neem oil insecticide does not kill insects instantly. Wait for at least a week to judge the effects.

Neem Oil Amounts For Insect Spray

For 1 liter of a 0.5 % dilution of neem plant spray you need:

• 5 ml neem oil
  
• 1-2 ml insecticidal soap or other detergent
  
• 1 liter warm water
  

To convert into US measurements:

Five ml make a teaspoon. One litre is roughly a quart

Just multiply these amounts if you want to make a bigger batch. If you want to make a more concentrated batch multiply both the amount of neem oil and the amount of soap used:

For 20 liters of a 1% solution of neem insect spray you need:

• 200 ml neem oil
  
• 20 ml insecticidal soap
  
• 20 liters of water
  

If you have trouble dissolving the oil, use more detergent.

Method For Preparing Neem Insect Spray

• Use warm water if possible. If making a large batch make a premix in a small amount of warm water, then add that into the big container.
  
• Mix the warm water with the soap first!
  
• Then slowly add the oil while stirring vigorously.
  
• Fill the mix into your sprayer.
  
• (Or fill the premix into your sprayer, which should already contain the rest of the water. Mix well.)
  
• Keep shaking or otherwise agitating the mix while spraying.
  
• Use the mixture within eight hours.
  

Additional Instructions

Spray the neem insecticide solution on all the leaves, especially the undersides where insects like to hide. If you have plenty drench the soil around the roots as well. It does not hurt, neem oil is actually good for your soil.

Use your neem insect spray as quickly as possible, definitely within eight hours. Once your batch neem garden spray is mixed the neem oil starts breaking down. Always make a fresh neem insecticide batch for spraying, and only prepare the amount you need.

How often should you use neem garden spray? The suggestions below are general guidelines. Keep a close eye on things and fine tune as needed. If you are worried about sensitive plants, spray just a little bit in a small area, wait for a day or two, and see what happens. If you use insecticidal soap you should not have any problems.

Neem plant spray as a preventative measure: Spray once a fortnight using a 0.5 % solution. This should prevent any insect problems in the first place.

Neem insect spray to fight an infestation: When spraying the first time throroughly drench al leaves and the soil around the plant. Then spray once a week until the problem disappears. If it rains you may need to respray sooner. If you are dealing with a less sensitive insect species you may need to increase the concentration of the neem spray. See how you go.

From the sound of the infestation, I'd go up to 15ml of Neem & 5ml of insecticidal soap or other detergent.

I'd like to know if anyone finds

insecticidal soap in Thailand...

edit... Source: http://www.discoverneem.com/ A non-commercial site in Kununurra W.A.

Edited January 8, 2010 by GungaDin

[Gippy]

Little bit off topic but your friend should be happy it wasn't one of these. This munched it's way through half a large egg plant bush in a day, stripped it bare. It was hard to find and scared the you know what out of me when I found it!

[chinnotes]

The caterpillar shown by Gippy is the caterpillar of a hawk moth (family Shingidae), genus Acherontia. These caterpillars are known to feed on plants of the Solanaceae family, to which the eggplant belongs.

Erwin

[JetsetBkk]

The caterpillar shown by Gippy is the caterpillar of a hawk moth (family Shingidae), genus Acherontia. These caterpillars are known to feed on plants of the Solanaceae family, to which the eggplant belongs.

Erwin

Ah, the Hawk Moth. Fortunately, it didn't like my 6 year old cactus...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/What-s-Moth-...ly-t238737.html

[chinnotes]

Very nice photo, but there are many genera of hawk moths in Thailand, the one JetsetBkk shows is genus Daphnis, the one of which Gippy shows the caterpillar, belongs to quite a different hawk moth genus, namely Acherontia..

Erwin

[Gippy]

The caterpillar shown by Gippy is the caterpillar of a hawk moth (family Shingidae), genus Acherontia. These caterpillars are known to feed on plants of the Solanaceae family, to which the eggplant belongs.

Erwin

Thanks for the info. I had tracked it down to being a hawk moth caterpillar but not the exact kind. He certainly did like the eggplant and ate an amazing amount of it before I found him.

[thetravellingcat]

woah that moth scared the s--- out of me!

[yabaaaa]

Where do you buy neem oil in Thailand and does it have a Thai name? Im in Bangkok

[GungaDin]

^^^ I bought 3 plants today for 200bt, 3ft high and in large plastic tubes.

I also bought a small bottle of Neem, (in Thai, "S'dow") for 50bt.

I want to compare it to the Neem I brought from Aus.

Can be bought wherever large vols of plants sold, JJ market, Sanam Luang 2, etc.