How do you get rid of caterpillars in the garden?

Answer 1

There are several ways to get rid of caterpillars, some are more beneficial than others.

The most common method people use is spraying their plants with insecticide. However the disadvantage of this is that it will also kill beneficial life, such as ladybirds/ladybugs. Insecticide can also stunt the growth of the plants. So it's not recommended.

An alternative to pesticides is neem oil. It won't stunt the growth of the plants, but again it can also kill beneficial creatures such as ladybirds and bees. Again, not recommended.

One of the most popular methods is using Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt powder. This powder is a live but plant-friendly bacteria that kills caterpillars and most other plant-eating creatures. It may however also kill some, but not all, beneficial creatures.

An effective but time consuming method is to patrol your plants regularly and pick off the caterpillars you find and relocate them elsewhere.

The most popular method is to make sure that you invite birds into the area. By placing bird feeders, bird tables and other items to attract wild birds, they will happily forage your plants for insects such as caterpillar. Of course the downside is that some birds enjoy eating seed from the ground, despite the plentiful offers on tables and in feeders (after all, beaks are designed for burrowing into dirt), so this is not a good method during seeding time.

Study and use the method of crop rotation. For example, if you grow tomatoes in one place in one year, relocate them to another place the next year.

You could also consider protecting plants by placing them in a protective box with polyester fabric to allow air, water and sunlight to the plants.

Some herbs are also deterrents to unwanted visitors. Lavender, mugwort, sage and peppermint for example expels most of them. Consider planting some of these herbs around your plants/crops.

Other than that, if you have the space to do so, a humane (but not always effective) method is to build a butterfly garden. Section off a portion of your land away from your main plants and grow the caterpillar's favourite plants there (dill, milkweed, sunflower, willow, red clover, verbena and lantana). This will attract the caterpillars to this section of the garden and keep them away from the plants you wish to protect.

It is always best to make sure you do your research on the caterpillars that visit your garden or crops before choosing a method, as some are endangered or can transform into endangered butterflies. Harming endangered species is against the law, whether they're eating your plants or not. In the eyes of the law, these protected creatures are more important than your plants.

Look out for ants too. Recently, it has been discovered that caterpillars often have "alliances" with ants. Caterpillars can be seen in ant nests and wandering around with a pack of ants for their protection, since ants have weapons (pincers) whereas caterpillars do not. Scientists have astonishingly witnessed caterpillars rewarding ants with food for protecting them and communicating with ants through vibrations on the ground.

Answer 2

Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) is the best way to get rid of caterpillars. BT is a bateria that lives in the soil. It is completely safe for humans and pets. In fact, the only thing that BT harms is caterpillars so other garden wildlife like birds and beneficial insects are safe. Caterpillars, on the other hand, will die within hours of eating BT. Products containing BT have been sold for over 80 years and it is considered the standard product for getting rid of caterpillars. Simply spray the affected areas until the plant or tree is dripping wet. Remember to spray under leaves too. The caterpillar must eat the BT for it to be effective.

Answer 3

You need to give it a nice home and give it leaves to eat. though you should try to know in advance what it eats. (for instance, if it's a wooly bear caterpillar, it eats, clovers, and weeds.) i recommend giving it a small layer of dirt on the bottom of it's home and give it a stick so when it pupates, it'll have a place to dry out it's wings. and in the winter, it can bury itself in the dirt.

Answer 4

Drowning, spraying and squishing are ways to kill caterpillars. The lepidopteran larval stages in question can be dropped into soapy water-filled buckets, sprayed with insecticides and squished by gloved hands or mechanical means. The above-mentioned methods represent extremes that do not have to be employed since caterpillars grow up to be pollinating butterflies and moths and since they may be removed to other, non-problematic locations if they cannot be tolerated during the few weeks of their life on Planet Earth.

Answer 5

There are a variety of home methods to get rid of hairy caterpillars. These include spraying them with pepper spray, or with oil spray.

Answer 6

If the caterpillars are harming your plants, you can dust the plants with a natural bacteria such as BT, bacillus thuringiensis, powder.

Answer 7

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