BT won't work on these guys. They're too big. You'll need Spinosad.

Steve

Spinosad works better for me than BT, with fewer applications...and it takes care of anything that munches on the leaves. Captain Jack's Bug Brew (organic). For cut worms I'm not willing to have them come back for more snacking, so I scratch the soil around the hosta hunting for the ugly gray worms. Or perhaps you have a Very Hungry Caterpillar. Kid's book. ;-)

-Babka

Steve- I didn't see your post before I sent mine. I began to type then got distracted then came back and hit the submit button. Getting old...

-Babka

I have some Captain Jack's, and probably some of the other.

I found the moth tonight but not the caterpillar. It was a fairly small moth, kind of red or maroon looking, about an 1" long.

I wonder if this might be a small caterpillar with a new food source.

bk

Seems to me that I read that cut worms like young foliage and cut in almost strait lines. This looks like caterpillar damage or bunny snacking to me. Those little green ones can be very hungry and very hard to see. Put your glasses on if your going to hunt for them.

-Beverly

How do you use the captain jack stuff, anyway? Do you spray it all over the plant and the worm comes along and eats it and dies? I used to use the Sluggo plus with Spinosad which was supposed to work on cutworms, but it didn't do the job for me.

i though cut worms .. at least in MI... are an early spring phenom.. molting into whatever they are.. rather fast ...

the edge damage.. reminds me of cutter bees ... see link ..... i dont know about the center munching..

one thing for sue.. you wont have any of Moc's cute little frogs.. if you pull out the chems ...

why dont you just pull off the FEW bad leaves.. and OBSERVE... if damage continues...

one thing to always remember .... in regard to a bugs life... is that its fast forward all the way ... why use chems.. if the bug is already gone.. and how do you know if it still there.. UNLESS YOU SEE IT.. or ID FURTHER DAMAGE ...

none of your hosta are going to be hurt by removing a leaf or two ..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: lookey here....

Babka, I looked up Captain Jacks brew and it contains Spinosad which is indeed organic although synthetically produced for commercial sprays.

It is safe by most standard tests but some researchers warn of 'significant markers for long term mutagenic effects in mammals'. I'm going to get some to control cutworms. As always organic substances can be just as or in many cases more toxic than man-made.

I will now get off my soap box and head out to my local HD to get some Spinodad.

Jon

It's grasshoppers. I was working on hosta this morning and found two small green grasshoppers grazing. Never would have thought of that. I don't think there's really much you can do for grasshoppers.

Boy, this is my year for hosta troubles. It's not anything that will kill them, though. It just makes them ugly.

bk

Very hungry grasshoppers! Some years you just can't win. I suppose it makes the good years really special. Chin up. How can you catch grasshoppers? Some people eat them, and I wonder how they collect them?

-Babka

Tiny grasshoppers ate all the flowers off my 'Sprite' Astilbes this year, just as they were about to bloom. I am so bummed about that.

Ugh, I hate grasshoppers too! I don't usually see too many of them around here and if I do see them I kill them. I also grow dinnerplate dahlias and those grasshoppers will eat all the petals off a flower and boy does that make me mad! My daughter had them munching on her impatiens last year. I had no idea they would eat hosta too.

Linda

I've heard of REAL grasshopper problems, but not experienced them (and this is not a REAL problem). It's already July, so they start downhill from here, anyway. So, I'll just try to make up for Cleo's rampage and accidental destruction last year and this spring by fertilizing and watering well for the rest of the summer.

There's always next year with hosta.

bk

Grasshoppers...caught in the act but too fast for me to catch in pic...Plantagenea was perfect yesterday - now look at it. Last year I found many grasshoppers in the gardens and it seems they are back already.

They are ticking me off and when I get mad, out come the scissors!!!! I know, it's gross and violent, but come on, they are eating HOSTA!!! If I' move stealthily, I can catch them and cut them...sneak up from behind.....yeah, we all have a dark side, and mine comes out really bad in the garden when there is a lot of damage....and my troubles are just beginning as they stayed around almost all summer last year...me baaaad! Sorry.