What kind of caterpillar eats geraniums

Follow some cultural practices to keep pests away from your Geraniums. They probably despise the foliage texture. Yes, Japanese Beetles do eat Geraniums. Japanese Beetles get paralyzed when they eat Geranium leaves but they still munch on them. Vine Weevils despise the Geraniums thanks to their foliage. They can damage Geraniums greatly as they multiply rapidly and feed a lot. You may want to drench your Geraniums in hot pepper and garlic spray if the infestation is severe. Rabbits, Rats, and Javelinas eat Geraniums as far as I know.

Most other garden lurkers try to keep away from Geraniums. The fuzzy texture of the flowers may deter them sometimes but not always. In fact, Geraniums are planted around desirable plants to protect them from squirrels. Yes, Rabbits can eat Geraniums. Yes, Rats do eat buds off your Geraniums.

Rats can do great damage to Geraniums, so it is best to keep rats away from your Geraniums. They do this in search of their food. Gophers are repelled by these plants. No, I have never seen Slugs and Snails eat Geraniums. I had a slug infestation in my garden previously but the Geraniums were unaffected. Groundhogs may devour a wide variety of plants in the garden but they despise Geraniums. Yes, the pretty flowers seem to attract hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds love to suck the nectar out of the flowers. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Home Insects Yard and garden insects Tobacco budworms. Quick facts about tobacco budworms Tobacco budworms Heliothis virescens , also known as the geranium budworm, are commonly found on petunias, geraniums and nicotiana.

These caterpillars are seen in late summer. They cause irregular or round holes in flower buds. Damage caused by tobacco budworms. How to protect your plants from tobacco budworms You cannot prevent the appearance of this caterpillar, but you could take some steps to control it. The amount of damage the insects cause progresses through the growing season, becoming most noticeable in late summer. In moderate coastal climates the problem can exist almost year-round.

Now that you know how to identify them and what kind of damage they do, it is necessary to understand the management techniques.

I will provide you several ways you could employ to help minimize damage. Simply lift up the worms and drop them in a bucket of soapy water. To be most effective with this approach it is best to do this practice when they are active which is at dusk. Another organic approach without using insecticides to help control the Budworm is to prune off the buds on the Geranium that have visible entrance holes or small specks of frass, then dispose of them in a plastic bag or away from the plant thus breaking their life cycle.

In my own garden, I have Ivy Geraniums spilling over the sides of a large decorative pot. I monitor my plants on a routine basis. If I start to see evidence of harm, at dusk, I snip away the little damage I have and I am done, keeping the worm population down to a minimum. I will only resort to using any insecticide if it is absolutely necessary as a last resort. While still being an organic or natural way to control the Budworm the insecticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis also known as Bt can be used.

This is an effective biological control when used on some plants. Personally, I find that plants such as Geranium, where the caterpillars drill into the buds and eat little of the outside surface, thus making Bt not effective. Others have noted that Bt Caterpillar Killer works satisfactory to their needs. More than on application may be necessary. Another insecticide that is natural or organic is one that contains Spinosad.

I find it easier to remember the name Captain Jacks. Captain Jacks is a derivative from the rum making process.