Catapillers are destroying my crop! Help please!

[Cannasuer]

Use some SAFER catapillar spray & in 2 applications they are gone......
(organically certfied)
Used to go thru this every year until I sprayed at sundown heavy 2 summers ago.


Save what you can!

Thank you, i used green light bt for two weeks and it seemed to be much worse well it was much worse. By is only good for baby catapillers it has no affect on larger caterpillars. In addition to that I read that the catapillers in Cali have been treated with kurstaki bt for so long that they have built up immunity to it so that's why I abandoned using bt. It was at this time I used malathion because it was out of control the bt only seemed to make them shit all crazy but it had no affect on their appetite! Spinosad is OMRI certified organic and listed at the safest possible rating. Pyrethren is also certified organic depending on what its mixed with some has petroleum distalates and those are not organic. Pyrethren is super safe and is reccomended in every mj growing book ive read and I have 12 books on growing alone. I have 1 book HEMP DESEASES AND PEST BIOLOGICAL & CHEMICAL CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT. That cost me $110 and it list all the poisons and their saftey ratings and how to use them for marijauna and hemp because you dont smoke hemp so they suggest different things respectively.
anyway my point is I dont think a crop can be grown outdoors without some type of pest control and catapillers are no joke they can destroy your crop in a week if you dont take care of it. Anways I guess il just figure it out on my own. But thank you to those who had suggestions and not just snide comments.

 

[Cannasuer]

Hey bro, I helped a friend get rid of a bad caterpillar infestation using BT ONLY.


What kind of BT did you use? Was it the kurstaki variety? How did you apply? Did you use a high pressure professional sprayer and get the tops and bottoms of the leaves? How often did you apply and how long did you use it for?

I ask these questions because in my friend's case, it took just over 2 weeks to start to get things under control. He also spent many hours every day picking off all the caterpillars he could see. It's a lot of work but in time he was able to get rid of all of them.

Hope you take into consideration what everyone said about putting chemical pesticides in your flowering buds. Regardless of how safe the package says it is... I wouldn't go as far as putting that much trust in them to feel safe smoking these buds. But that's just me.

Good luck.

Nugz

Thank you i appreciate your input and + reps for not following the crowd and actually giving some advice thank you again.

 

[ESCOknows]

dude i had an outdoor crop 4 times the size of that last year(check my gallery) .same problem but only on the sativa-dom plants. just use BT or the safer brand ... double dose and you should be good . make sure to get rid of the poop or you will have mass mold come oct,and the pillars will be the least of your worries.. good luck.

 

[Cannasuer]

Heres something else I just found for you and thought it would be a good read for you........

Although they are ostensibly used to protect our food supply, the negative health effects of pesticides may indicate that they do more harm than good. The use of chemicals to control pests has gone on for over a century, and only in the 1970s did the public begin to be aware of the potentially devastating effects of pesticide when ingested. As people continue to learn more about the possible adverse effects of pesticide exposure, they can work to protect themselves and their children.

The most well known effects of pesticide are cancer-related. While certain types cancer are believed to be health effects of pesticide exposure, there are other health problems that many scientists believe are linked to pesticides. Some adverse effects of pesticide include brain and nerve damage, developmental problems, and hormone interference. People who have pesticide related problems often suffer from effects of pesticide exposure that occurred through the ingestion of food, exposure to airborne particles both in buildings and outdoors, and through contaminated soil or water.



Heres a sight for you that might be of interest.

http://homeharvest.com/beneinscaterpillars.htm

yeah, your bud might taste great and get you high like its supposed to, but how do you know that the pesticides are gone? You really dont, now do you? Think about it.....theres everybody in this thread saying WTF are you thinking and not a single one saying yeah, go ahead and use all that shit. I give up, just be sure to tell all of your clients that you used a LIST of pesticides on the weed they are smoking. Good luck!

Thank you that link was much more informative then all the name calling and shit talking that was going. My next outdoor grow I will definately be using those wasp I had no idea how many you get I thought for some reason you just release a few. But I will for sure be using those and il release right before the onset of flowering and re release every month or so and il also plant some other flowers that they could feed off of. I only went nuclear because I had no other choice if I lose this crop I'm pretty well screwed, my lost crop my first rum at hydro cost me close me to 20 grand and I harvested two whole plants netting me a half pound total! Now I can't even afford the electricity to run the lights! All was growing great finnaly after fixing all my nute and other costly problems and I was a month from harvest and someone did something I told em not to do and my AC cut off while I was sleeping and 28 out 30 plants were unsaveable and I had invested everything from my 1st succesful outdoor harvest and was near complete brokeness that's why I did it outdoor again this year and everything is so perfect and healthy no deficiency or anything just fucking catapillers and they showed up over night and exploded and ive had them ever since. My mom I also smoke what I grow so I dont want to smoke any poison and that's why I go thru what I do to ensure that I wash off all residue and flush for 10-14 days and I make sure to wait the time listed before harvesting and then I spray em with ro water every other day during the final flush.

Ive asked this ? On a few other forums and not once did any 1 start attacking me for using pesticide I was warned and directed to a few links on the affect of pesticides their safe use but no name calling or shit talking at all, if your an adult then you should know how to get your point across without being hostile , condecending or sarcastic. And I'm not just talking to you so dont take it personal I'm talking to anyone on thus site who can't or dont give their opinion without putting someone else down.

But to all the people who actually gave advice and tried to help me thank you and Il be giving all you + reps for it thanks again. And I won't be neg repping anyone for their negative comments I dont beleive in neg repping anyone just to be malicous or cause I think their wrong but I will try to steer them in the right direction without making them feel stupid for asking a ?.

 

[Surfnfisher]

The catipillars come from those white moths you see flying around. So if you wont take the time to go through the buds and pick them out then you wont take the time to do a good solid bt application. Bt is to keep them away from the beginning. But if I had 17 plant which is prolly 8 lbs harveyd and cured which if your a caregiver you prolly get top dollar so thats about 40 grand. If you cant spend 8 hours cleaning up your scene I would say you are floundering. Pick them off then cover them with netting if you have to . Otherwise the catipillars will win.
Oh and they dont call them "poisons" because they are safe.

 

[happyherb]

dont know what brands names you have over there...and ive never had the problem in flower as you have ATM....

ive used a "systemic" spray in veg before ....there is a withholding period but it a pretty safe product from what i know.....just putting that one out there for your thoughts....KILLEM......HH. =]-~

 

[birdbrain]

I have tried this with great results, last year I only had about 5 worms in my 11 plants.
1st, I tried to find the true cause of the problem. Yes, they are worms, but how do they get there? Its those dam moths and butterflys! They look all cute while flying around in your yard, but they are full of baby worms and are looking for a host plant.
So, before the plants start budding, around the end of July, try putting a mosquito net around your babies, or some cheap plastic netting, and you will cut the problem out at the roots. I watch the moths fly right past my plants unable to land on them.
This year I was late in doing so and have a little more worms than I was hoping for, but that seems to be a part of the game.
I built a frame around my plants to make it easy to drape any kind of screen around them.
It also makes it easy to pull a tarp over them in case of an early season rain.

 

[Cannasuer]

I have tried this with great results, last year I only had about 5 worms in my 11 plants.
1st, I tried to find the true cause of the problem. Yes, they are worms, but how do they get there? Its those dam moths and butterflys! They look all cute while flying around in your yard, but they are full of baby worms and are looking for a host plant.
So, before the plants start budding, around the end of July, try putting a mosquito net around your babies, or some cheap plastic netting, and you will cut the problem out at the roots. I watch the moths fly right past my plants unable to land on them.
This year I was late in doing so and have a little more worms than I was hoping for, but that seems to be a part of the game.
I built a frame around my plants to make it easy to drape any kind of screen around them.
It also makes it easy to pull a tarp over them in case of an early season rain.
http://
www.icmag.com/gallery/data/500/34808IMG_3360-thumb.JPG

Dude THANK YOU! That's a damn good idea and I'm gonna use mosquito netting next summer for sure! Well actually I hope to be able to afford a top notch glass green house by next year but if I can't il be using your method for sure! Its so simple I feel stupid Gor not thinking of it THANK YOU!! I'd give you more then 1 plus rep if I could cause you deserve it on this 1!!

 

[Cannasuer]

The catipillars come from those white moths you see flying around. So if you wont take the time to go through the buds and pick them out then you wont take the time to do a good solid bt application. Bt is to keep them away from the beginning. But if I had 17 plant which is prolly 8 lbs harveyd and cured which if your a caregiver you prolly get top dollar so thats about 40 grand. If you cant spend 8 hours cleaning up your scene I would say you are floundering. Pick them off then cover them with netting if you have to . Otherwise the catipillars will win.
Oh and they dont call them "poisons" because they are safe.

Its not that i won't take the time i take a couple hours every day to go thru my nugs but its the tiny motherfuckers man! Those son of a bitch moths and buyterflies man! I tell you what they are HARD to kill! But if I'm not in a greenhouse next summer il be using netting for sure! Great tip! + reps for sure! Il also be using parasitic wasps as well released before the plants bud! I can't go through this stress again ive got ulcers and shit from stress I just can't wait to get in the black out of the red and stop worrying and having everything teetering on destruction you know? Anyways FUCK CATAPILLERS!! AND BUTTERFLIE! Why cant they be extinct?

 

[ESCOknows]

hey man i know it might be to late but the only way to get rid of the moths is to use multiple bug zappers , anyone who has gone big outside will tell you that thats the only way to kill them.

try keeping buggs and worms off all this shit , let alone mold.
BT + BUG ZAPPERS..


GOOD LUCK i know it stressfull ,hang in there.

 

[HighonPottery]

damn caterpillars!!! punk bastards ate up all my plants this past week.

 

[teruso]

What if you grew plants in a bird aviary, the birds would eat all the bugs and the plants could be used as a perch. Not to mention the fertilizer.

 

[Cannasuer]

damn caterpillars!!! punk bastards ate up all my plants this past week.

man I dont care how pretty butterflies or moths may be I would still like to see all species go extinct! They are voracious eating and mass damage causing fuckers that I kinds wish would scream when I kill em it would be more satisfying then just a splat under foot or in between my fingers! Any way I find spinosad is the best defense in my opinion but you still have to stay on top of picking them off and then spraying something like serenade or some other way to prevent mold. I am gonna really study on the best ways to keep catapillers off cannabis plants before next years outdoor grow like companion planting so they stay on other plants instead of our babies or just repell them I mean there has to be some way of doing it there just has to be!

 

[thc43]

shake the plant quite vigorously collect what cattipillas drop take to the nursery if there not green, in my country we get small to large grub like green nubbers that spew green goo when killed. these guys i rather hand pick alough youll only get the larger pigs. Keep shaking OD plants and inspect plants daily unless in veg where you can use some sort of mild killer ( i only spraY clones but early in veg gives heaps of time for the insceticide to go whereever it goes. Spray on pots at night they home under the rim of pots.. many crops have this same issue to no shortage of info. This year my cattippillas have prefured baby tomatos and capsicum plants stripped to the stalk... so im setting up inscecticide barriers using Lorsban (toxic dont use on edables or smokable)

Thc$#43

 

[Enjoy Cannabis]

I use neem oil spray

 

[White Rabbit]

man I dont care how pretty butterflies or moths may be I would still like to see all species go extinct!

WOW... You need help.

WR

 

[Limeygreen]

Instead of chemicals you should be looking at bt (Bacillus Thurengensis) it's a bacteria that kills catapillers but is safe for humans. I don't know how late you can use in flowering you can use it though. Also if they start eating the buds, cut out the sections they have eaten to avoid molds or other dieseases.
Do you know if it is loopers, bud worm, corn borer or another catapiller?

 

[mexilandrace]

I am kinda hippiesh about this, I got a couple moths in my room about a month ago. I didn't even think about it and turns out I had caterpillars within about a week.

At first I was killing them all off, I grow sog so I have a bunch of little plants, I just shook the plant kinda hard and they fall right off.

Finally I just let the rest eat what they wanted, they were eating the leaves anyways so I figured let em be. Mother nature made my plant made those caterpillars and who am I to kill them?

Then I found one had eaten half a bud, my fault, so I pick him off and put him outside. I mean he just ate like 30 dollars worth of pot so the way I saw it he was one expensive caterpillar.

After all that though, I still give every moth and butterfly I see the evil eye, just in case its him.

 

[cbf]

For the last 3 years I have had major problems with these caterpillars outdoors. It may have even started in 2000 or 2001, but before I never had these.
If they just ate a bit here and there or whatever it would be ok, but I had a plant that every single cola had like 3 or 4 resident caterpillars. It was rediculous. They not only eat buds, and burrow into stems, they POOP all over the nugs inside and kill plant material causing Grey and black mold that spreads quickly inside the bud. A tell-tale sign is browning or yellowing of leaf/bud in isolated spots and obvioulsly chewed plants, black poop spots.

I had to pick my buds early and HAND PICK like 30 caterpillars out of 1 plant. Thank God I priomarily grow indoors or I seriously don't know what I'd do. I absolutely hate mold, and have lost alot of bud in the past due to it, and these little green "THC worms" ruined my outdoor girls by creating mold havens in the bud....WOW anyone know where they came from, I swear I never had an issue with these up until several years ago and every grower here who has outdoor plants has suffered in recent years?

 

[cbf]

Anyone else suffer with caterpillars in socal the last few years outdoors? I want to know if it has to do with my location, or if they were imported recently like that harmfull Asian fruitfly that devastates citrus that was imported accidentally to Cali recently..globalism..