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You are here: Home / Bugs / Yuck! What is That?

Yuck! What is That?

Written by Jackie D'Elia  |  Published on August 26, 2009

These caterpillars (Armyworms) are eating my waterlilies alive in the stock tank.  If you know what type of caterpillar this is, please post it in the comments section. Thank you Wizzie Brown for letting us know.

caterpillar-eating-lilypad

caterpillar-climbing

As if it wasn’t bad enough that they are eating the lilies, they are leaving even more disgusting droppings all over. I recognize these from my tomato plants, although they were much smaller in size.

caterpillar-eating-lilypad

lily-eaten

I love this Tropical Waterlily ‘Midnight’. Vibrant blue with yellow is outstanding in the garden. I am going to pick them off and move them elsewhere before it’s too late.

midnight-waterlily

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Filed under: Bugs Tagged with: Bugs, caterpillars, waterlily

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Comments

  1. Pam/Digging says

    August 26, 2009 at 6:55 am

    Interesting…and yucky. I’ve never seen caterpillars on a water lily before. I suggest you ask Wizzie at Urban IPM blog (out of Austin) what you’ve got there.

    • Jacqueline D'Elia says

      August 26, 2009 at 7:38 am

      Thanks Pam. I’ve sent her an email asking for help. 🙂

  2. Wizzie says

    August 26, 2009 at 9:13 am

    They look like some type of armyworm. You can try hand picking them off & dumping them in a bucket of soapy water or squishing them and leaving for the birds (or fish in your pond if you have them). You could also use Bt var. kurstaki which is specific to caterpillars (make sure the Bt is labeled for use in ponds). The caterpillars need to eat the Bt for it to work properly, so make sure to get good coverage on the plants.

    • Jacqueline D'Elia says

      August 26, 2009 at 9:29 am

      Thanks Wizzie! I’ll opt for pulling them off and putting them in a bucket of soapy water. 🙂

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