Caterpillars are the larval stage in the life cycle of butterflies and moths. Even if butterflies are cute flying insects which you wouldn’t want to kill, when it comes to caterpillars the situation changes.
Caterpillars do a lot of damage to your autumn crops and trees, and just seeing them causes me nausea. These 16th legged hairy insects really give me the shivers (in a bad way) only when I think of them. It must be a childhood phobia or something. However, I’ve seen them crawling around in the vegetable garden, more precisely on the cabbage leaves, and on the porch and every item standing there. It seems that I’m facing with a caterpillar invasion because my shady ornamental trees are full of caterpillars.
I’ve read on many gardening websites that you can handpick these hairy pests and put them in a bucket with soapy water. But this repellent method just isn’t for me.
Hence, I used Bacillus Thuringiensis, a natural occurring soil bacteria that destroys caterpillars within a few days.
How to use?
Simple as abc – just dust the powder over the plants and trees that you want to protect or you can use the liquid form by spraying it directly on them.
Don’t worry about any side effects! This solution is non-toxic and it can’t harm your plants or pets (if you have any)!
Other Natural Caterpillar Control Methods
Birds
There are plenty of birds that love to dine on a caterpillar. So, install as many birdfeeders as you can around your house and vegetable garden to attract such birds into your yard.
Burlap Bags
Some caterpillar species (moth caterpillars) are dead meat. They hate heat and will hide under the burlap bags making it easier for you to squash them quickly. So, wrap your trees in such bags to create the perfect hiding place for caterpillars.
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