HELP! voracious, indestructible caterpillar

[strangerachael]

680
This little green caterpillar (upto about 1/2 inch) has affected just about everything in my garden over the last couple of years: strawberries, peppers (in the greenhouse), roses, clematis, various herbs and other plants. It rolls itself up in the leaf (or, as shown here on the rosemary cutting, if the leaves are too small it sticks them together). Not only does it eat leaves but also fruit and flowers. I found them inside my peppers. I think the moth responsible is a small brown thing (also found inside a pepper). The only way to get rid of it is to pull off every affected leaf or flower, but as there are literally hundreds of them this is almost impossible. I have just been outside and discovered they are also overwintering very cosily wrapped up in their leaves. I can't even spray as the spray wouldn't touch them.
Can anyone help? :(

[Miranda]

I've had the same problem, Rachael and have just been picking them off a house plant which has been all but stripped. Every time I think I've got them all, a new lot hatches. Voracious little beasts, aren't they.

You can try derris - it comes as a spray and in powder. I think it's made from a type of chrysanthemum. Another way, if there aren't too many is simply to squish them by pressing the leaves together where the caterpillars are hiding.

[Paul Narramore]

These little green caterpillars ate holes in the new leaves of a rose I'd grown from seed collected in the Rocky Mountains. I'm going to keep a closer eye on the rose this year.:mad:

[Summer House]

Have you got a picture of the Moth? It makes it a lot easier to identify as so many caterpillars look alike.

[Paul Narramore]

Speaking for myself, if I'd waited for the pesky varmint to have turned into a moth, the young rose would have been in tatters. It was just a matter of carefully examining the leaves, unfurling some, and squashing the thing between my fingers. I'm not THAT bothered about identifying it, just stopping it's behaviour. :-(

[Summer House]

Maybe by identifying it you can stop it's behaviours as you will know what your dealing with.

[strangerachael]

Have you got a picture of the Moth? It makes it a lot easier to identify as so many caterpillars look alike.

No - I only ever found one and it was dead. But as I said it was small (about 1cm) and brown. I know that doesn't help much! Do you know much about moths? Could you maybe identify it from a picture if I had one? Also - what about the pheromone traps - do they trap all types of moths? And are they any good?

[Paul Narramore]

Maybe by identifying it you can stop it's behaviours as you will know what your dealing with.

What? And risk losing my rose? You cannot be serious (John McInroe).:eek:

[Truda]

We had many of the leaves on a silver birch eaten by caterpillars. They were small green caterpillars with black spots. We identified them as Sawfly caterpillars. As the trees are getting quite tall I intend to use a pressure jet normally used for cleaning the car to blast them off the leaves this spring.

Got our identification material from:
www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/forums/insects/12851-sawfly-caterpillars.html

It was suggested that the following might help stop the infestation:

Thiacloprid sold as Provado Ultimate Bug Killer, Rotenone, sold as Bio Liquid Derris Plus or Pyrethrum sold as Py Garden Insect Killer, Scotts Natures Answer Natural Bug Killer
Hope this helps

[Summer House]

There is a very good chance that your problem is the Sawfly they are a member of the wasp family and have small caterpillar like larvae no larger than 25mm in length that eat at the leaves of plants. There are lots of different Sawflies Rose S., Apple S., Hawthorn S., Pine S. and so on all feeding on the different plants and with different looking Larvae and all can make quite a mess if given half a chance. Have a look at the BBC website:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/advice/pests_and_diseases/nonflash_index.shtml?sawflies
It maybe of help.