What do they look like? As shown in the photograph to the right, the lily caterpillar is yellow, grey and black striped with black dots like eyes on the head and base of the body. young caterpillars are small and hard to see. It is about 5cm long when full-grown. The yellow stripe is more predominant on mature caterpillars. The adult is a small cream and red moth. The lily caterpillar seems to have increased in numbers and importance as the popularity of mass-planted crinum or spider lilies (Crinum pedunculatum) and cliveas (Clivia miniata) has increased.
What do they do? This caterpillar can completely destroy every plant you have overnight. The caterpillar is more active when it's hot, wet or humid. It pupates in leaf litter, then moves up into the plant to begin feeding where it strips the leaf and leaves a transparent skeleton. The larvae hide during the day then come out to feed at night. They chew the leaf surfaces, and also damage the leaf sheath at the base of the plant. Left unchecked the lily caterpillar causes damage and often kills plants.
Can we live with them? Not really.
How are they controlled? The best time to treat or find the pest is first thing in the morning, as it feeds at night and hides by day. Look on both sides of the leaf, and down into the base of the plant. There are no chemicals registered specifically to control the lily caterpillar. However, products registered for the treatment of moth or butterfly caterpillars can be used, particularly the following which are readily available at nurseries. Success or Dipel (safe and registered organic biological controls) can be applied when the pest is first seen, but it needs to be repeat sprayed frequently to be effective.
Powered By WEBHEAD