Oleander Moth

[ajbrown]

This year we have a new piece of art on our lanai. We are told it is an Oleander moth; quite a striking color scheme. It is about the size of a poker chip. I had never seen one, so thought I would share.

WITH Flash
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/P1030665.jpg

NO Flash
http://i1002.photobucket.com/albums/af146/ajbrown2007/totv/P1030664.jpg

[villages07]

AJ .... those buggers have been driving me crazy for the past 2 months. That is the moth, that lays eggs on the underside leaves of an oleandar bush, that hatch and become caterpillars (large orange, with black legs); caterpillars munch the leaves then pupate into moths and the cycle continues. Massey hasn't been able to control them, nothing I've tried has worked.

Anybody else have any sure fire strategies on controlling these pests???

On the plus side, it is a pretty creature (the moth) as well as the orange and black caterpillars.

If you have any oleandar bushes, look at them very closely. Apparently, this has been an extremely active season for the oleander caterpillars. Fortunately, this is the only plant they like.


(woohoo, just noticed I crossed the bridge of 2,000 posts and am now a Soaring Eagle .... hmmm, I wonder if Soaring Eagles can control caterpillars)

[ajbrown]

Massey was here today, that is how I learned what they were. He told us our Oleanders were not affected "too badly". He said he will treat them, based on your post, I will keep an eye his progress. Thanks

[bkcunningham1]

Those are really awesome photos. Every little detail can be seen in the images. Really nice.

I read that you should be careful and wash your hands when dealing with the the caterpillars after they've been exposed to the poisonous oleander plant. There are some suggestions for controlling the caterpillars in this article below.


http://www.floridakeyslandscapeadvisor.com/2009/06/oleander-caterpillar.html

[Taj44]

They are a beautiful looking moth, but the caterpillars that arrive later are not to my liking. They chew up the leaves on the oleander if left untreated, and can decimate your bush if no action is taken. There is a spray you can use, which helps when the caterpillars are small. I've had the best luck just hand picking the larger ones off our oleanders, in addition to spraying. The spray is called bacillus thuringiencis, and is safe to use in gardens where there are other flowers you need to be careful with or where your pets might be.

They also spray with Permethrin, which is a heavy duty chemical highly toxic to cats, and a known carcinogen.

[Ohiogirl]

Wow - the pictures of the caterpillar look exactly like what I found in mid June all over my 2-3 ft tall mandevilla vine (that I planted in April). Were eating the leaves. I hand picked them, and did it again 2 days later. Then had to leave. So I'm guessing when we get down that my mandevilla will be history. The link provided here says to cut of the infested branch - had I done that there wouldn't have been any left (but there might be anyway).

[zcaveman]

Anybody else have any sure fire strategies on controlling these pests???

Fly swatter or rolled newspaper comes to mind.

I was always told that the more colorful the insect/reptile, the more dangerous. (coral snake). They use their colors to attract their prey in their natural habitat.

[villages07]

Z ... Good tip about using a fly swatter. Hadn't thought of that. I don't like to touch icky things. Swatter works much better.

[pooh]

That's what those are! Thank you. I have some hanging around my lantana. Our next door neighbors have lantana out front, also, and they, too, have lots of these critters.

They are beautiful, though....even though they do cause destruction.

[cartwheel]

I fought them for two years, and finally gave up. I tried sprays and also picking them off by hand. Both methods would only keep them off my oleanders for a few days. They can strip most of the leaves from an oleander in a week or two. I finally cut down my two oleanders (which never produced a blossom anyway), dug up the roots and replaced them with knockout roses. No more worms to fight and lots of blossoms.