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Pests in the garden can be a problem and they are a very big problem two days before a big garden tour. A very good preventative for pests, or at least a quick fix is to walk your gardens and make sure you are watching for signs of pests. In my case I honestly missed the signs of an infestation of the genista broom moth larve on my baptisia. Let me explain. I had noticed a few weeks ago that this particular baptisia was being eaten. I checked for pests but did not see any and did not particularly worry since this baptisia was the exact same one that was bothered by the automeris moth larve last summer. Not checking further was the wrong answer. I should've checked under the leaves for the eggs of the genista broom moth caterpillar. Had I done so I may have prevented the decimation to my baptisia. I only show you one of the baptisia but a total of five baptisia were attacked-only two small ones were saved and I am not so sure they too won't wind up with some of these pests.
Before I kill any bugs in my garden I always seek to identify them. I searched high and low on the web for help with this insect and even emailed the picture out for help but I had no luck identifying this larve until I posted a picture on my FB account and Freda of Defining Your Home and Garden posted a link to the identification of this pest. Thanks Freda for the fast identification! A local extension agent here in Tennessee also verified the identification and said I should get rid of these caterpillars soon.
I don't have insecticides here on a normal day to day basis and honestly, even if I did I'm not so sure I would immediately pull them out and spray. My option upon identifying these caterpillars was to handpick them all off from the baptisias. Fortunately I had two teens here who were quickly enlisted to help out with the picking. The caterpillars went in a bucket of plain water to drown. There were too many caterpillars to take care of in this way so as soon as I was able to I went to the Co-Op and purchased some concentrated bacillus thuringeiensis (BT). This was the day before the garden tour. I quickly mixed up the BT in the recommended dosage in a spray bottle and sprayed away all of my baptisia. I am still checking daily for more caterpillars as more more and more hatch out and grow large enough for me to see and am finding more coming each day. I suspect I'll be systematically checking for these pests for the next few weeks.
From what our extension agent said and what I have read online these moths are generally found further south and in Texas where broom is more common. Broom does grow here but it is not a normal plant for this region. Apparently the baptisia is a good host plant for the moth and a number of other flying insects to include both butterflies and moths. For some reason the moths like Tiger Gardens more than the butterflies do to lay their eggs.
And how did the tour go? Well, not one person mentioned the above sad looking baptisia and the tour went wonderfully! I cut out all of the damage and removed the caterpillars by hand and while the baptisia was a shadow of its former self it will recover from the infestation....
in the garden....
P.S. This caterpillar does not appear to be the stinging kind. With the white prickly looking hairs I did not venture to test out my theory but I could not find where it is listed as a stinging caterpillar. It is best not to touch insects or wildlife at all unless you are sure they will not harm you.
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
Poor baptisia! Hooray for Freda making the ID. Hand picking is a good way to control them...though a little icky.
ReplyDeleteYikes! Are these baptisia alba or baptisia australis? Or does the caterpillar eat both indiscriminately? I don't have either in my garden yet, but have been thinking about planting some. Good to know that I might need to watch out for this caterpillar menace!
ReplyDeleteThey would eat both baptisias but all of the baptisia I have are either hybrids "Carolina Moonlight' or the straight species australis. I don't have the white one here but it most likely would not be immune.
DeleteTo bad it is a bad bug cause he is pretty and chances are good that the moth would also be pretty. W are the black things that look like droppings. To be more specific, hornworms droppings.
ReplyDeleteThat is lots of frass from the feeding caterpillars-just like with the hornworms, aka droppings.
Delete*What
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting, I have been trying to find out what type of caterillar is eating my baptisias. It happens every year! so far it hasn't killed them, but my blue one is only sticks now. I hand picked and when I went back there were some I missed :(
ReplyDeleteBoy that is nerve racking trying to figure out these bug issues...glad to hear all went well and the lovely baptisia has recovered.
ReplyDeleteGlad to help with the ID. Very informative post. I now cut my baptisia back to the ground after they bloom. Mine aren't in a conspicuous place and I'm phasing them out after having that caterpillar attack a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI will be even more diligent in my checking now. I can see something is munching on my garden, but other than one tiny tiny caterpillar, I haven't found any. The bucket with water is a good Idea. It sits better in my mind than hand picking them and squashing... yuck.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flowersforums.com/ruth/blog/
I'd be sick if something started eating my baptisia; glad you were able to identify this pest and get them under control. I hope this caterpillar doesn't find its way north. Glad to hear your garden tour went well!
ReplyDeleteI knew a little ole caterpillar would not slow down the Garden Tour! I am starting to see pesky Japanese Beetles and I’m plucking and squashing.
ReplyDeleteLooks like mine here in Cincinnati...on a blue baptisia. Will get them tonight! The moth isn't all that exciting looking, by the way...brownish, nondescript except for the white antennae>
ReplyDeleteThanks kmt! Good catch on spotting the moth. They seem to be quite prevalent this year and what a pest. I will keep my eyes open for the moth. The white antennae are like clubs or big?
DeleteI have a bunch of these eating 3 purple smoke Baptisia - also in Cincinnati! Thank you for the identification.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, You are very welcomed and thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let us know you too have these pesky caterpillars.
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ReplyDeleteThank you SO MUCH for this detailed description and perfect photos. I found these caterpillars defoliating my baptisia in Deforest, Wisconsin! That's right, zone 4/5. The WI Dept of Ag has asked that I send them a sample as these have not been documented this far north. Had I not Googled 'caterpillar eating baptisia' I probably would not have have found you nor would I have known what an alarming situation this is. Scary stuff's afoot as far as climate is concerned. Thanks again. Cyndie
ReplyDeleteCyndie you are very welcomed and thank YOU for posting your experience. These are a big problem for sure. I noticed I have another crop of these caterpillars on my baptisias again!! This makes two infestations just this summer. I have been spraying BT for them. It is very odd they are so far up north as I'm told these guys are out of their range here in Tennessee. This does not bode well at all for the future as you alluded to about the climate change too. I feel the exact same way. I'm sure your tour will be fine. No one noticed my poor baptisia but if they did they didn't say anything and that is good. And thank you for letting me know how you found this post. I had difficulty identifying the pest when a friend of mine who also blogs and is a FB friend told me what they were because she had an infestation. She actually removed all of her baptisia due to these boogers. I try to make my posts simply and you would not believe how many people Google exactly what you did so I think these caterpillars have been an issue all over the country this year. Take care and good luck with your tour!! Do you blog? I'd love to see pics if you do. I checked your profile and didn't find one but if I missed it let me know.
DeleteThanks, Tina. Updated my profile a wee bit by adding my website. I have blogged - but don't do so nearly enough.
DeleteA sample of 3 culprits is on its way to the WI Dept of Ag, Trade & Consumer Protection :o)
Cyndie, Enjoyed your website! I see some garden art too! Way cool. Let me know what the verdict is on the broom moth caterpillar. I am wondering what the reason is for it being so prolific this year and so far out of its area.
DeleteHi Tina, I found this post doing a search of that moth. A local nursery sent an email to their list, saying to watch for these, and to come in for some BT if we have them. I normally either let caterpillars feed on my plants, or hand pick them if they are causing problems. Seeing your poor baptisias, I can see why you wanted to do more than that for them. I guess I won't go back and try to argue with the author of the email. I'm glad your tour went well.
ReplyDeleteFreda helped me with some problems on my blog this summer. She's our go to gal!
Freda was indeed a big help in identifying these pests Sue. It seems it is quite a widespread problem this year. BT is natural and will only harm the bad guys and it worked well. The boogers are back so I must spray again it has been quite a problem. None on your baptisias?
DeleteI am wondering, is it ok to cut back my Baptisia now that its totally eaten up?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is totally okay to cut out the damaged parts. You should see new growth in a few weeks but I warn you to watch out for repeat infestations as the caterpillars have arrived here-again.
DeleteI am wondering, is it ok to cut back my Baptisia now that its totally eaten up?
ReplyDeleteI am wondering, is it ok to cut back my Baptisia now that its totally eaten up?
ReplyDeleteI am wondering, is it ok to cut back my Baptisia now that its totally eaten up?
ReplyDeleteIs it ok to cut Baptisia down after it has been eaten up?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is totally okay to cut out the damaged parts. You should see new growth in a few weeks but I warn you to watch out for repeat infestations as the caterpillars have arrived here-again.
DeleteI am wondering, is it ok to cut back my Baptisia now that its totally eaten up?
ReplyDeleteIt is totally okay to cut back the dead parts Lisa. I have cut mine back and one looks completely dead but I suspect it will come back next year.
DeleteI have one plant that has been completely defoliated and is looking really bad. I have left it in place for the time being and am not worried about it. I am pretty sure baptisia will come back from its roots next spring just like normal even if it is dead above ground this year but I will have to wait until next year to be sure!
ReplyDeleteTake a look at your Lupine foliage as well as the Baptisia. I found that that my Lupine foliage was being decimated. In my search I found this lovely caterpillar. you are all talking about. I don't want to kill what I can't identify. Now I better get out some BT. As I am leaving on vacation and do not want to return to find all the foliage stripped off my Lupines.
ReplyDeleteElaine
Glad I could help Elaine. I am the same way with insects as I must identify them first. This is not considered a good caterpillar at all. Can you give me your part of the country? If you read the other comments it seems this caterpillar is around in overabundance and in areas it is not normally found so I was just wondering.
DeleteI just found this after doing a search for the genista moth caterpillar. Thanks so much for the info. I saw these caterpillars and wanted to identify them before I tried to disposed of them. They are all over my baptisia. I'll be cutting them back this afternoon!
ReplyDeleteGet some BT quick Jane as cutting the plants back and handpicking the cats will probably not work. They just kept coming and coming on mine and in fact have returned a full month later. A pesky thing to deal with. Good luck! What is your location? Just curious as these are so prolific this year and out of their normal range.
DeleteTina,
ReplyDeleteI am so sad and mad! After reading the warning, I have been eyeballing my baptisias, but not looking closely at them. That was a big mistake. I only have one large plant, and a couple smaller ones. One is a white one, I think. Oh, and there was one volunteer growing in a pot that wouldn't come out when I wanted to plant it in the ground without taking the thyme out with it. I've heard they don't transplant well, so I had planned to cut it down, but hadn't gotten to it. Anyway, I spent this morning cutting back the damage, which was worse on the large plant. First, I put the stems and caterpillars in a garbage sack, and stepped on the sack before putting it in the garbage. The sack was too small for all of the stems, and holes were poked in it. I didn't get all of the caterpillars killed, either, because some of them got out of the garbage can. I got a bucket of water, and put the next stems and caterpillars in it. That wasn't big enough, either, so I got another bucket, and waited to put the water in it until after the stems and caterpillars were in it. I'm sorry for giving all these details, but I want to tell you I feel awful! I've killed a few individual beetles before, but not this many at a time. I'll have to be vigilant in checking to see if there are more. Only a bit of the smaller plant had damage, and the newest planted one may just be dried out, as I didn't see any caterpillars on it. I hope your plants recover. You have more of them than I do.
That's a total bummer Sue. Those caterpillars seem to be a real pest this year. I bet your baptisia will recover.
DeleteThanks, Tina, for posting this info. Just noticed one stand of my purple smoke baptisia looks horrible...like it was burned on top. Upon closer inspection I found catepillars on many leaf veins...often back to back. Glad I googled catepillars on baptisia! I don't have any bT in my stash but do have spinosad. Think it's worth a try?
ReplyDeleteNatalie
Hi Natalie, I like your screen name. You must like to knit? I had never heard of spinosad but Googled it and believe that would work just as well as the BT. It seems it might even take out more pests than BT but for sure the larva will be killed. Good luck and thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. Based on the number of queries about this caterpillar eating baptisia those genista broom moths have been a MAJOR issue across the country this year.
DeleteHey Tina. Thanks for the comments (I seem to have trouble replying....) I tried the spinosad and, as of yesrterday, have seen NO catepillars. I sprayed in the evening to limit exposure to the bees and other friendlies. Hopefully I got them in time.
ReplyDeletethanks for your post, which a friend directed me to after i asked for help id'ing what's eating my white baptisia (3') in old lyme, ct. i checked the b. alba (4') but no sign of the caterpillar on it. i gave mine to a neighbor's chickens. thanks!
ReplyDeletedl-thank you! For commenting and letting me know how you found this blog and that some of the info helped you. I can't believe this caterpillar is all the way to Connecticut! It has been a HUGE pest this year. The chickens ate them? Good to know!
DeleteI'm in Cincinnati, Ohio and thanks to your posting, (which I found via Google) I finally figured out that these nasty things are what have eaten my Baptisia, too. My plant is probably 10 years old and I've never seen them before. I plan to cut it down now and hope for the best next year. Thanks for your info and posting, Tina.
ReplyDeleteThese pests are rather new this year to our parts but a friend of mine in NC helped me to identify it. Without her I'd have been lost as I could not figure it out. So this posting came about. So glad it helped you out. I hope your baptisia comes back. One of mine has gone completely dormant and I am not so sure it will recover but hoping for the best too.
ReplyDeleteI just found these pest on my Baptisa up here in Minnesota. If someone wanted to use chemical to remove them... since someone is afraid of bugs... what would you suggest?
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, so sorry you are dealing with these pests. They are tenting caterpillars and can do some damage in short order. The good news is you can dispose of them pretty fast and your baptisia should survive and bounce back next year. I used the BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) with good success. You can buy it concentrated or ready to use. Just follow the directions and spray the plant and pests thoroughly then sit back and relax. Within a day or two the caterpillars will die. They may reappear later though so you might have to spray again. I had two to three generations of them in my garden last year. None so far this year:) Good luck!
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