There are many the pests that can harm our cannabis plant . In today's article we will talk about caterpillars that can appear especially in outdoor cultivation, where countless insects can perch and lay eggs without even realizing it until the evil begins to be noticed. Therefore, we have to keep a close eye on our crop to be able to detect any possible plague and spot future parasite eggs that destroy our harvest. caterpillars or worms are a plague that, if we act immediately, are very easy to remove . Most of the worms that we can find in our plants come from moth larvae, that is, the eggs of the typical hairy butterflies that we can see flying at night.
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The butterfly lays eggs in the highest parts of the marijuana plant, in the flowers and in the buds where the newborn worms will find their food to survive and grow . Depending on the type of butterfly, the worm can have a green, yellow, whitish tone ... and they are small and round. The worm is born and begins to eat, causing small holes in the leaves or eating the edges of the same . In 2-4 weeks, it will have grown by changing color and will be looking for a place to build its cocoon. From there, the butterfly leaves and the cycle begins again. Especially in the flowering season we must take special care of the buds now that its softer areas are the first that the caterpillars will start to eat.
How to detect a caterpillar infestation?
When the plague is advanced it will be quite evident and we will quickly see how it devours our marijuana plant. But at the beginning of the cycle, it will not be so easy and that is why we can take into account some basic tips.
- Butterflies : if you see them flying over your plants, try to avoid them and start observe that they have not laid eggs.
- Eggs : you can find them in the flowers or in the leaves, especially in the upper parts of the plant and in areas of the leaf closer to the stem.
- Holes in the leaves : if you have holes or the leaves are gnawed at the edges, is that the worms have already hatched from the eggs and are feeding on your cannabis plant while growing at the same time.
- Excrement : Check if there is a trace of defecation that the worm leaves behind. They are dark in color and can cause us more problems causing botrytis, among others fungi .
- Dark spots on the bud : if the caterpillar gets hold of this area, we'll see how the flower has rotten and brown parts. Keep a close eye on the flower and the bud as it is the first thing they will eat in the blink of an eye.
- Observe at night : since this is when the caterpillars are most active. During the day they camouflage themselves and are not visible on the leaves.
Source of the photo: Cannabis Cultura
How to eliminate a caterpillar infestation?
As soon as we detect that we have caterpillars, we must act immediately if we do not want to run out of plants.
- Remove them by hand : It is the first, although it seems very obvious, it is very important since It may be that when we see them we do not have any specialized product on hand nor do we want to put anything that will damage our plant. So, you have to bite the bullet and take out all the ones you see in your cannabis plant.
- Biological insecticides : they are the most recommended to avoid leaving chemical residues, especially in the phase of flowering or close to it, so we recommend using biodegradable products that naturally attack worms and caterpillars. We have, for example, Bacillus Thuringiensis (once a week for 3 weeks), Mittel, Bio Thur, Prirepot… Depending on how advanced the plague is or how big the worms have become, one or the other can be more useful.
- Home remedies : the infusion of pepper and garlic or the mixture of pelitre and rotenone.
- Natural predators : such as the wasp Trichogramma, Apanteles, Trichoderma Hamatum, Podisus maculiventris, Orius spp. and lacewings ...
Note: important do not apply product if you are in the last 15 days before harvest . In that case, just don't apply any insecticides and remove all possible caterpillars manually. Another thing to keep in mind is that we look at < b> that there is no trace of them . At harvest and drying time, when you hang the plant down and they dry out, the worms will no longer have fresh green food and will molt. They will surely find another space to build their cocoon and they will start the cycle again. So be careful so that you do not have cocoons or eggs in corners of your house that later become the next generation of eaters of your cannabis plant.