Q.What The Heck Is This Thing? I Just Caught Him Red-handed ( He Definitely Doesn’t Have A Green Thumb!! I Set Grub Traps As Sugge
sted & I don’t think grubs are eating my hollyhock leaves & leaving behind strange copper/orange growths (for lack of a better w ord).. I am determined to win this fight, with your all of your help & knowledge, of course! Any ideas are better than none 🙂 I gave up on hollyhock seeds, haven’t had any success in the past. So this year I planted a hollyhock plants, it was doing beautifully, enormous , healthy green leaves. Then one day I noticed that almost all of the more mature leaves were covered in this copper/orangish (matter of sorts). The pics below don’t do it justice – I’ve cut off all the infected leaves a couple weeks ago, but new holes & hard globs keep on coming.. I took these pics today & caught this guy munching, but what is it?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
It is hard to say which species, but it is a type of caterpillar. They can be quite destructive. Neem oil is a good way to get rid of them, but bad infestations can require other methods.
bacillus thuringiensis or BTK is one of my favorite methods. This microbe is good at getting rod of caterpillars while being harmless to you or your plants.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/using-bacillus-thuringiensis.htm
This article will offer more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/insects/prevent-caterpillars.htm
