Orange/black catepillar that ate all foliage off my Mandevila

Question

I went to my garden only to find lots of orange/black catepillars with lots of legs, eating all the foliage and flowers off my pink Mandevilla plant. It now looks dead.

Is it dead, or can I cut it down to the ground and wait for it to grow back? I live in Central Florida.

Thanks

Answer 1

I would only cut it back about half way. They can recover, but this is very stressful on the plant. You might invest in some neem oil to prevent this in the future as well.