Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
tim45z10

black and yellow catepillers

tim45z10
11 years ago

these darned catepillers (sp) have invaded my grape vines. The colors run in circles around their body. This is the first time I have ever seen them in nine years of growing grapes. They are stripping the leaves bare. I cut the leaves off of some and killed others.

Comments (3)

  • slogal
    11 years ago

    Does it look like the Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer, aka Harrisina brillians?

    Here's a link to the UC IPM pest note:
    http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r302301011.html

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pics of Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer

  • chezron
    11 years ago

    Please wear gloves if you handle them as their hairs can cause skin reactions and irritation. Populations build as the season wears on. Early control is the key to decreasing damage. An introduced virus usually keeps their numbers low, but it sounds like your caterpillars do not have the virus. Bacillus thuringiensis can be used to control skeletonizer and other caterpillar pests. Handpicking in small areas also is an efficient treatment because of the gregarious feeding habit of the larvae. Caterpillars should be destroyed as soon as they are noticed on the foliage, as all from each cluster of eggs will be in a single group, whereas if the treatment is delayed until the larvae have separated into individuals or small groups, much more labor will be involved. Since the larvae spin their cocoons in the leaves and trash at the bottom of the vines, clean culture is recommended.

  • tim45z10
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thats them. There sure are a lot of them. Thank you for you help. I doubt I got them all. I will inspect and destroy daily.
    Tim