caterpillar infestation

[encinitasbuckeye]

Hi Group - I have some caterpillars that have made home in some plants. They need another couple weeks before ready. Is it ok to use neem oil this late? thanks john

[JDU]

Nuke em!!!!!!
Caterpillar infestations SUCK!!!
But try something more friendly. Lost Coast plant therapy brags that they are safe to use the day of harvest. The jury is still out as to whether neem oil is even safe at any stage of growth.

[homegrown]

it does say its deadly for most kind of mites and thrips n such. Im wondering if its more of a deterrent for the real pesky critters like leafhoppers and caterpillars?. Im using it mostly for WPM. And i have a whole crew of praying mantises...lol. They spend very little time on the weed plants mostly because there isnt very much to eat on them. AND..these suckers are smart. Dont move much at all...why waste time trying to catch one of those shifty leaf hoppers when they can sit and wait for a big fat slow moving bug or caterpillar .lol

[JDU]

Yup. Agreed again. It's been the best WPM treatment I've found so far..... 7-10 more days & I'll have a few fully cured jars to test for taste & see if it stands up to its claims....

[homegrown]

Im gonna give the outside girls a treatment of water/milk today for WPM out in the sun. Worked really good for my first grow...they were outside for the day and tent at night. see if it last or deters it any longer than LCPT

[Smerft85]

Diatomaceous earth, I use that with the neem and bugs are minimal at best. However these methods have also dropped my population of predatorial insects too.

[homegrown]

DE is amazing stuff...one of the only safe things that will stop carpenter ants in their tracks. Used it on fungus gnats when i grew in soil. I suppose i could dust up the stem to make a barrier.. I'll try it tomorrow.

[crucialbunny]

Vinegar works great on caterpillars. A tablespoon to 2 liters of water and sprayed on your plant should do the trick. Vinegar can damage your plant if not heavily diluted by stripping it's protective leaf cover. In the past I have used it but 15 or 20 minutes after treating I give them a good spray of plain water to wash off any residual.

[Rwise]

I used spinosad on mine. Neem should not be used on buds.