To show how tiny this caterpillar is, I photographed it next to a fork. It would be nearly impossible to search for these in your garden! |
Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer - Scientific name: Harrisina brillians Photo from The World of Insects |
How could this cute little critter and his many pals wreak that much havoc? Here is how - pale yellow or whitish capsule-shaped eggs are laid in clusters on the underside of grape leaves. After hatching, the larvae (see above photo) line up like armies and feed side-by-side on the leaf underside! From what I've heard over the years from other gardeners is that it only takes a matter of days before these little terrors destroy all of the vines! So today I brought out the big guns - my Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT for short) and my 1 gallon pump sprayer. It only takes 4 teaspoons of BT to one gallon of water. We'll be sure to thoroughly spray the undersides and tops of ALL of the grape leaves, early in the morning or in the early evening. You don't want to spray when its sunny out, the water drops act as a magnifying glass and burn the leaves. BT is a naturally occurring bacterium that is safe to use in the garden. It becomes harmful to the insects only after they ingest it. They will stop eating leaves right away, then die in a few days. For the next month we'll be spraying weekly, wherever we see signs of skeletonizers
Found this morning just chomping away on my poor grape leaves! |
Not pictured is my hard-working, bug-killing brother, looking like a ghost-buster out in the arbor with mask, gloves, goggles, and tank strapped to his back! I will have the pleasure of watching this spectacle once a week, all the way up to Halloween ;-) . Oh the things a sister enjoys! What can I say?