Treating Puss Caterpillar Infestations
Traditional Pest Management These pests can, theoretically, be controlled using a number of commercial pesticides. If you choose to use traditional management methods, consult the labels of the available pesticides and select one labeled for puss caterpillars. However, I cannot recommend using traditional pesticides for this purpose. In most cases, especially when only a few of these caterpillars are being observed, it may be best to avoid doing any kind of pesticide treatment at all. We have not identified all the organisms that prey on puss caterpillars, but the evidence suggests they are numerous because, where spraying is not done to treat puss caterpillar infestations, they rarely recur the next year, but where aggressive spraying is done, the infestations tend to recur, sometimes in much larger numbers than before. Such a pattern indicates that spraying pesticides kills beneficial predators that would otherwise have destroyed the puss caterpillars before they could mount a new infestation. Major Infestations If your site has a major infestation of puss caterpillars, or if they are infesting the foliage of several tall trees on your property, consider the possibility that something destroyed the natural predators of this insect in the previous 12 months. If that happened, it may be wise not to compound the situation by spraying for these insects again, as the cycle may continue to repeat for several years unless the natural predators are allowed to recover to the point where they will destroy the puss caterpillars without any help from you. Please send your reports on such infestations, along with details of any unusual events in your neighborhood that may have contributed to it to jcates@austin.rr.com. Biological Control Biological pest management is receiving much attention today. As a result of this trend, there exist several biological agents for puss caterpillar control. One of these, Thuricide, contains the microbe Bacillus thuringiensis, var. kurstaki. This agent is effective against puss caterpillars only when they are young and actively feeding on foliage. Mature specimens will not respond as quickly or at all, as the caterpillar must consume the microbe while chewing leaves on infested plants and mature caterpillars cease feeding prior to pupation. I am a strong proponent of biological pesticides when they can be shown to be effective, and when their use does not produce negative, unintended consequences. Unfortunately, such appears not to be the case when using Thuricide for puss caterpillar control. Thuricide, like any pesticide, may also destroy beneficial organisms that prey on puss caterpillars, their pupae, and the moths that emerge from the pupa. Again, from all indications, natural predators are our best defense against this insect, and avoiding all pesticides seems the best way to insure that the natural predators will do their job well. If you have experience using traditional pesticides, Thuricide, or any other agent or product for puss caterpillar control, please send your report via e-mail to jcates@austin.rr.com and I will post it here. It is important to learn from the experiences of others, and your reports will help immeasurably. Many thanks in advance... Click Here for Puss Caterpillar Encounter Reports Photographs of Puss Caterpillar Stings Texas Insects ... Bugsinthenews
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