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Help needed to identify and fight this caterpillar.

BartlomiejBartlomiej Posts: 24
in Problem solving
Hi, I have only one major pest in my garden this type of caterpillars are attacking everything, strawberries, raspberries, lemon, orange tree and even garlic over winter (mild winter in Belfast this year).

What is best way to tackle them, I hear BT but there are different strains and not easy / cheap to buy. I am also open to suggestions for planting flowers attracting natural enemies but so far I am loosing the battle. Some photos of one of the two found today on my dill plant, approx 15mm length.
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Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Leave them to it would be my thoughts.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • BartlomiejBartlomiej Posts: 24
    I am sorry, but this advice isn't helpful.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Is it making a web nest out of leaf tips? It's likely to be the Light Brown Apple Moth. They don't do a huge amount of damage to most plants but they are an invasive species and a pest if there are a lot of them. The easiest solution is to remove the caterpillars manually and put them on the bird table. You can get hormone traps for the adults to break the cycle but I've no idea how well they work or if they trap non-target species.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • BartlomiejBartlomiej Posts: 24
    Yes, they do build nests out of leaves, I read about hormone traps, but I am not sure how effective these are either.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    There's a lot of moths in the same family (tortricidae) that leaf roll like that but most are quite specific to certain host plants. The Light Brown Apple Moth is a generalist though so prime suspect if it's on lots of different ones. I think manual removal is your best bet as they're easy to find once they've made the web. Generally the only damage they do is to the growing tips of plants but watch out for succulents like aeonium as they can cause rot in the stem crown if they cause enough damage. They got at one of mine last year but it actually improved the plant so I'm not mad.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • BartlomiejBartlomiej Posts: 24
    Last year, when I was pulling citrus trees inside, they "jumped" on my chilli plant and started "drilling" holes in chilli fruits. I didn't notice it right away.

    Luckily, inside, it is really easy to spot them and remove them. On raspberries and strawberries, damage isn't big, but when you have small potted citrus and loosing fruit which ripens over 9-12 months, this is at least annoying. I am thinking of using traps and BT plus manual removal, but I need to identify the type.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Barlomiej. My apologies if you felt that was a throw away remark, you are obviously trying to find an answer .Caterpillars become butterflies and that was my meaning.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • BartlomiejBartlomiej Posts: 24
    Understood, but these are out of control all year round and are wrecking havoc in the garden. Ideally I would prefer natural / biological control as I won't use pesticides.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    Small birds can be good at providing some control on caterpillar numbers and you might attract some of these if you introduce features to your garden like thorny and evergreen shrubs where they can shelter, bird baths or nest boxes.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • MessynessyMessynessy Posts: 81
    I had loads of caterpillars similar to these on my nasturtiums last year. You could try planting some so the caterpillars have something less valuable to munch on. 
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