strange creature found in a citrus tree today. about 1.5 inches long. forked tongue. head, no limbs visible. 'body' or cocoon or whatever feels
soft. alive and responsive, with tongue thrust, when touched.
my best guess is maybe the immature form of the 'mothras' that are all over now?
Mula - 9-24-2012 at 09:04 AM
And these will strip a tree of all the leaves in no time flat.
I fumigate with BT (Bacillus thuringiensis). This is a non-toxic bacterial powder.
Available at Agro stores in Baja.
These are bad, bad, bad!rhintransit - 9-24-2012 at 11:12 AM
thanks, and good to know its a danger to trees...wonder how it does it with that tongue. anybody know what it is, other than 'bad'?Mula - 9-24-2012 at 11:18 AM
The locals just call them gusanos. Caterpillars.
I think they become those big brown moths.Jack Swords - 9-24-2012 at 12:39 PM
This page on the giant swallowtail shows the "tongue" of its caterpillar. Not enough image to see the rest of the caterpillar. Here (Central coast
of CA) they feed on citrus, but eggs are laid sparingly and singles so they don't really do damage to the treeCortezBlue - 9-24-2012 at 12:46 PM
It looks like what came out of me after my colonoscopy preprhintransit - 9-24-2012 at 01:25 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Jack Swords
This page on the giant swallowtail shows the "tongue" of its caterpillar. Not enough image to see the rest of the caterpillar. Here (Central coast
of CA) they feed on citrus, but eggs are laid sparingly and singles so they don't really do damage to the tree
that's good to know, too. I don't like to poison/kill living creatures doing their thing, as long as they don't strip the citrus trees. maybe they
behave differently in Baja. will watch closely
can post more detailed photos if needed for ID
Caterpillar
tehag - 9-24-2012 at 02:51 PM
Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
Rest of caterpillar looks just like bird poop. Eats some leaf from citrus trees. Turns into stunning big butterfly.Jack Swords - 9-24-2012 at 03:47 PM
I grow Blood oranges here at the farm.......all I can tell you is that these things will chew away a tree in days.
If you NOT to kill them and you have one or two trees.....
Look for "poop droppings" on the leafs........ it will be right there. Pull it off and place the caterpillar into ground covers or any plant that it
may consume. Also.....the caterpillar is easy to spot at night....with a flashlight.
(B.t.) is a naturally-occurring soil bacterium that produces poisons which cause disease in insects. We prefer to see Butterflies later in the year.
[Edited on 9-25-2012 by mcfez]bacquito - 9-24-2012 at 07:53 PM
I was working in Winterhaven, Ca. for Imperial County many years ago when a grower brought in a citrus leaf and asked me what was on the leaf. I
looked at it and said it looked like poop. The grower said look at it more closely and then I saw it move. It turned out to be an Orange Dog
catepillar. Insects are truly amazingMula - 9-25-2012 at 07:07 AM
What is this saying?
"If you NOT to kill them and you have one or two trees....."
I kill them. They will strip and kill my trees.rhintransit - 9-25-2012 at 07:36 AM
I was feeling all warm and fuzzy towards the potential butterflies until I went out to see my newish (2-3 yr) citrus trees this morning. too much
chomping going on, so the insecticide came out. lo siento mariposas pero....!!!
gotta vote with Mula this time.mcfez - 9-25-2012 at 08:00 AM
Simply a way not to kill.......and not to use poisons.....much the way Organic farmers do it.
rhintransit...you have fruit on the trees currently?
Quote:
Originally posted by Mula
What is this saying?
"If you NOT to kill them and you have one or two trees....."
rhintransit - 9-25-2012 at 08:04 AM
Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Simply a way not to kill.......and not to use poisons.....much the way Organic farmers do it.
rhintransit...you have fruit on the trees currently?
Quote:
Originally posted by Mula
What is this saying?
"If you NOT to kill them and you have one or two trees....."
some trees have fruit but the ones they're attacking don't. does that make a difference?
so can they live on other foliage? I don't mind moving them to some other weeds with broad leaves or ???Mula - 9-25-2012 at 09:01 AM
They particularly like young tender trees, but can do serious damage to older established trees, too.
I liked them too, the first 2 days they showed up in my trees.
Not any more!mcfez - 9-25-2012 at 01:27 PM
Here's what I was told......and I am not sure it is just a tale or not.
The fruit has citric acid that the caterpillars refrain from getting near. I asked a citrus grower in Fresno about this.....he said the caterpillars
wont touch a tree ...with fruit.
Our trees....fruit...no littler buggers. What can I say?!
If you have only a tree or two...check each evening towards sunset....for the critters. Flash light really helps. Just a few minutes each day is all
it takes. Broad leaves and such....yes. Better than dead...........
My understanding is that DENNIS catches many.....makes good soup
Quote:
Originally posted by rhintransit
Quote:
Originally posted by mcfez
Simply a way not to kill.......and not to use poisons.....much the way Organic farmers do it.
rhintransit...you have fruit on the trees currently?
Quote:
Originally posted by Mula
What is this saying?
"If you NOT to kill them and you have one or two trees....."
some trees have fruit but the ones they're attacking don't. does that make a difference?
so can they live on other foliage? I don't mind moving them to some other weeds with broad leaves or ???
Bugman - 10-1-2012 at 01:02 PM
I can confirm that the caterpillar in the picture is that of a Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes). They feed on many plants in the citrus
family. The female butterflies prefer to lay eggs on the new growth. The eggs are fairly large, yellow and easy to spot as they are typically laid
on the upper side of the new leaves. The caterpillars are camouflaged as bird poop and get fairly big so if you have a large tree it can support
several of them without any problem but young trees with too many are going to be damaged. Figure that one caterpillar can strip about 2ft of a
branch (more if leaves are small) to finish developing. The orange tentacles that the caterpillar has are a defense mechanism. If you bother the
larva it will expose them and they have a rather unpleasant smell. It is a nice looking butterfly so I usually leave a few on my trees but if too
many they get thinned!Feathers - 10-1-2012 at 01:11 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
It looks like what came out of me after my colonoscopy prep
Are you on a roll today... or are you always this funny? BajaBlanca - 10-2-2012 at 09:08 AM
these critters destroyed a huge bouganvillea we had in the back yard. I will post a pic later but the damage was extensive.... I saw the poop
droppings on the ground and since it is a large bush, did not really look up til it was too late. It will recover but looks terrible right now.Bugman - 10-2-2012 at 09:41 AM
I have never heard of these caterpillars eating bougainvillea so I would be surprised if it was the them? Any chance you have a picture of the
offending caterpillars?mcfez - 10-2-2012 at 12:03 PM
Several insects will eat bougainvillea leaves, especially the caterpillars of the Bougainvillea Looper. Scalloping of the leaf edges and irregular
leaf damage are signs of insect attack.
Are you on a roll today... or are you always this funny? 