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Posted by StaffordshireMags (U1624415) on Monday, 2nd April 2012
Caterpillars have stripped the leaves and flowers from crown imperial lilies in a morning. Anyone know what sort they could be? They are pale brown, hairless with no special features. They are about 1+1/2 or 2 inches long and not skinny things. I would like to know what they are from (butterfly or moth) a good site to help identify them. Any tips about what I can do next year to stop this happening again - what about Provado? Thanks very much, Maggie
Last spring a group of nocturnal caterpillars stripped my foxtail lily, iris, lupins and aquilegias. I went out at night to pick them off and I tried spraying with Provado, but going away for Easter weekend meant that I lost several plants. I asked the RHS and they just said it was a moth. I will look to see if I have a photo.
thank you kate. I'm sorry but I don't have a photo. They were not on my single plant but on my step-mums. There was just 1 caterpillar left when I visited yesterday. Maggie.
I have been out tonight and picked 5 off lupins and aquilegias, I was really annoyed that I dropped one, they are doing a lot of damage.
Provado does say that it will control caterpillars, although I've not tried it. The most effective approach might be to spray at the first signs of damage.
They do look rather like the ones that devoured my step-mums plants. I will make sure she has a bottle of Provado ready for next year!
I have sprayed my single plant with Provando - which is flowering beautifully. I wonder what the nasty things are. Maggie
Looks like a cutworm to me !! Cutworms are the larvae of several species of night-flying moths (Order Lepidoptera, family Noctuidae).
There are many species of cutworms, usually found in the soil and quite difficult too control if left unmanaged.
I have looked at some pictures and they match exactly, now I just need to stop them destroying my plants.
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