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View Full Version : Burrowing holes on new growth


Orly
06-23-2017, 07:04 PM
I'm starting to see this more frequently on one of my nanas (Hua Moa I think). Something is burrowing holes in the new leafs before they unfold. Caterpillar or moth maybe? I haven't been able to see the culprit yet.

Should I be concerned? If so how should I treat this?

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5263.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5266.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5267.jpg

edwmax
06-23-2017, 07:23 PM
Spray the plant with Ortho Bug b Gone or any garden insecticide per mixing directions. I did my nana plants this morning as well as my tomatoes & squash. ... Those are big holes, so I don't know what would make those.

Orly
06-23-2017, 07:43 PM
Spray the plant with Ortho Bug b Gone or any garden insecticide per mixing directions. I did my nana plants this morning as well as my tomatoes & squash. ... Those are big holes, so I don't know what would make those.

I think I found the bugger. I flushed it with water out of the top of the trunk, at the base of where new growth emerges. A caterpillar of some type. It's history now but not sure if more of them may be still be in there.

I'll need to apply an insecticide of some type as you suggested. An insecticide I could use on my other plants like Ixoras with ants aphids and scale as well as my pineapples with ants would be good.

I'm also growing tomatoes and they are near my nanas. I occasionally spray my tomatoes with Neem oil and have not seen pest on them yet.

ID on this pest?

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5273.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa289/odjtito/IMG_5274.jpg

edwmax
06-23-2017, 08:32 PM
Aphids and white flies can infest nanas as well as your tomatoes, citrus, and other garden veges. aphids will hide under the leaf sheath on the pstem as your little critter did. Make sure you get the spray down in those areas.

Orly
06-23-2017, 09:15 PM
Aphids and white flies can infest nanas as well as your tomatoes, citrus, and other garden veges. aphids will hide under the leaf sheath on the pstem as your little critter did. Make sure you get the spray down in those areas.

So I guess I'll give Bug-b-Gone a try.

There is another insecticide that targets caterpillars with bacillus thuringiensis. That's another option but I think Bug-b-gone treats them all.

Thanks.

Tytaylor77
06-24-2017, 01:28 AM
You found it. Those holes are always caterpillar. He sits at bottom of the last leaf and eats the roller as it moves up. He stays still but the roller moves so that's why you see so many different holes! It's each time he got hungry and in between the roller pushed up more! You found him and there won't be more damage for now. I would hold off spraying. 99% of the time I look around and find him!

edwmax
06-24-2017, 07:29 AM
That one looks like a 'corn worm' which can also eat tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

Ordinarily I would tend to agree with Ty about not spraying after you found the worm. But you stated that you had tomatoes near by. ... I spray my bananas at the same time I spray the vegetables & citrus trees to keep the nana plants from be a host to white flies and other sap sucking flying insects that will devastate garden & citrus plants. The spray wont hurt the nanas and should you have fruit you would be ahead of the game of keeping insects off the bunch.

Orly
06-24-2017, 09:23 AM
That one looks like a 'corn worm' which can also eat tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers.

Ordinarily I would tend to agree with Ty about not spraying after you found the worm. But you stated that you had tomatoes near by. ... I spray my bananas at the same time I spray the vegetables & citrus trees to keep the nana plants from be a host to white flies and other sap sucking flying insects that will devastate garden & citrus plants. The spray wont hurt the nanas and should you have fruit you would be ahead of the game of keeping insects off the bunch.

I think I'm gonna give them, and a few others, a spray. I've been having a few pest problems that Neem oil hasn't been effective with so I'd like to get it all under control for a start.

My tomatoes have begun to fruit so it would really suck if they got hit-up by pests at this point.

Thx

Orly
06-24-2017, 06:09 PM
Gave my nanas, Ixoras, and a couple pineapples a quick dousing of Bug-B-Gone. Hopefully that puts an end to the buggers for now.

I'll give my tomatoes a quick spray of Neem oil tomorrow morning. I just ate my 1st tomato of the crop, yellow pear, not bad at all.

Orly
07-19-2017, 02:46 PM
Those blasted worm/caterpillars keep coming back. They nearly ate clear through a new spear, it's folded over in half, uncurled. Sprayed the plants again. That should get rid of them for at least a little while.

Tytaylor77
07-20-2017, 12:58 PM
Wow you have some hungry caterpillars (I'm sure a corn worm. They all look the same when smashed to me). I really is amazing how much a little caterpillar can eat! Only trouble I've ever had is in spring. 2 of them can eat just almost every bit of the new roller!

Orly
07-20-2017, 02:59 PM
Wow you have some hungry caterpillars (I'm sure a corn worm. They all look the same when smashed to me). I really is amazing how much a little caterpillar can eat! Only trouble I've ever had is in spring. 2 of them can eat just almost every bit of the new roller!

Yeah slimy bastard did this:

http://i.imgur.com/xGqvaNH.jpg

And here is the POS responsible for it:

http://i.imgur.com/rGIgLrE.jpg

Danounet
07-27-2017, 10:22 PM
This could take a while to find, but I suggest you look up what kind of caterpillar that is and find one of its main predators, then see if you could find the host plant for that predator (where parents have/leave their babies to grow). With that info, see if you could find those plants, or if is even viable for you to plant those in your zone.

Good luck :03:

Orly
07-28-2017, 06:38 AM
This could take a while to find, but I suggest you look up what kind of caterpillar that is and find one of its main predators, then see if you could find the host plant for that predator (where parents have/leave their babies to grow). With that info, see if you could find those plants, or if is even viable for you to plant those in your zone.

Good luck :03:
It looks an awful lot like a corn earworm. A natural remedy is to release boatloads of Trichogramma Wasps. I don't have those handy. Green lacewings, minute pirate bugs and damsel bugs are also predators.

Also treatable with Bacillus thuringiensis. Available in many places.

This is all assuming It's really an earworm.

Danounet
07-28-2017, 06:11 PM
It looks an awful lot like a corn earworm. A natural remedy is to release boatloads of Trichogramma Wasps. I don't have those handy. Green lacewings, minute pirate bugs and damsel bugs are also predators.

Also treatable with Bacillus thuringiensis. Available in many places.

This is all assuming It's really an earworm.

You dont need to get all those, you just need a few host plants. If you build them, they will come.

Orly
07-28-2017, 06:27 PM
You dont need to get all those, you just need a few host plants. If you build them, they will come.

Was doing a little research into these predator insects. Turns out the Green Lacewing is attracted by Sunflowers. Just so happens that my neighbor recently started growing Sunflowers, many of them, within 20 ft of my nanas. Might work out good for me. Dandelions attract them as well.

Damsel Bugs, as well as many other predatory insects, are harbored within Alfalfa. Alfalfa is considered and insectary.

beam2050
07-29-2017, 11:44 AM
Was doing a little research into these predator insects. Turns out the Green Lacewing is attracted by Sunflowers. Just so happens that my neighbor recently started growing Sunflowers, many of them, within 20 ft of my nanas. Might work out good for me. Dandelions attract them as well.

Damsel Bugs, as well as many other predatory insects, are harbored within Alfalfa. Alfalfa is considered and insectary.

proud to send you some dandelions free of charge. :ha:

Orly
08-01-2017, 04:17 PM
I spotted a good critter on one of my papaya trees today which are located adjacent to my nanas. It was a Zelus longipes, AKA milkweed assassin bug. They feed any many critters including worms and caterpillars. That could be good news for me and bad newsfor my banana leaf munching bastard caterpillars.

http://i.imgur.com/JIr6Beb.jpg

Orly
01-10-2018, 09:17 AM
I recently spotted a few of these under some of my Papaya tree leaves.

https://bugguide.net/images/cache/20R/0W0/20R0W0L080ORHQARLQNRKQ3R0QJRIQL0QQQ0IQOR60S00Q9RLQVRLQYRE0K0W0YR IQZ090L0I0WR40AR7QTRW0007Q.jpg

Turns out to be the Brachonid wasp cocoon which is a good thing. It's the left over of detructive worms/caterpillars being consumed by the wasp. Coupled by the fact that I haven't had any more issues with worms on my nana's for the last month or so that's good news.