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Caterpillars eating the primulas

JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
in Problem solving
I finally found what has been munching the flowers and new leaves of the primulas, very large night munching caterpillars. I think they could be hawk moths . Do you do anything to deter caterpillars or just accept a certain amount of loss?
Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    For the sake of the beautiful Hawkmoth I would just grow more and let them have them. 
    I grow Mullein just for the caterpillars to eat.   It’s all food for bats, I’ve got those as well in the loft. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    With insects declining everywhere, I think it is okay to let them eat a few plants. I plant some things just for the caterpillars to get a good meal and last year a group of elephant hawkmoth caterpillars ate a fuchsia.....it bounced back a few weeks after they had stripped it completely.
  • Alan Clark2 in LiverpoolAlan Clark2 in Liverpool Posts: 2,190
    I don't think there are any hawkmoths that eat primulas, but there are a few other species of moth that do. They are unlikely to do much damage so I would tolerate them.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    One year I had them on the fuchsias, as @Ceres says, they will strip a plant. Lovely caterpillars though,  Im happy to let them eat the odd plant. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    edited April 2021
    Just checked this morning and I have one plant which has skeletons as leaves...... oh well to be honest they were just fillers for the pots until everything else got started anyway. I prefer to loose them to caterpillars than the vine weevil grubs🤗
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
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