 |
08-14-2002, 03:03 PM
| #1 | ||
| Seedling Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: So Cal
Posts: 13
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
 |
Is there an affective way to remove, kill, or scare away little green caterpillars? I recently pulled about 15 off four different plants. The plants are safe from any new invasion, but I'd really like to get rid of these bugs before they eat my stash. Any info would be greatly appreciated. | ||
|
|
08-15-2002, 03:55 AM
| #2 | ||
| Grand Master Gardener   Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Outside under the gorgeous sun near Latitude 24ºN
Posts: 3,552
Thanks: 0
Thanked 54 Times in 38 Posts
| Two thoughts- pepper spray or Bt. Pepper spray- find the hottest pepper you can buy- a habernero or scotch bonnet. Blend it to shreds in a blender, add enough water to fill a small (16 oz- 2 qt) spray bottle. Ad one drop of liquid dish soap. Spray the plant thoroughly. They don't like to eat pepper. Bt- you buy at a garden store, Home Depot, etc. Bt is live bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis). The action of BT is simple- the bacterium produces a toxin that kills the cells lining the insect gut. When the caterpillar eats the bacterial cell wall is digested which releases this toxin. Since insects have guts that are only one cell layer thick, this toxin literally "eats" a hole in the gut, causing an infection in the body cavity. Pick 'em every morning- the closer to dawn the better- those suckers can eat. | ||
|
|
 |
« Previous Thread
|
Next Thread »
| Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
Linear Mode
| |
| New To Site? | Need Help? |
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:13 PM.
