Question
bird poo catapillar
Mr Hyland, I have found several catapillars on the leaves of our citrus tree in my back yard, phoenix, az. At first I thought was bird poo,then it moved. I actually found more but much smaller. We have never seen catapillars on our citrus before, and certainly not this type anywhere in the yard. Can you identify and possibly propose an idea to rid of them? The attached photo does not show the damage they are causing to the tree, but I am concerned that will distroy in no time. My other concern is they will appear on my tomatoes and squash.
AnswerCaterpillars that resemble bird droppings transform into vibrant green larvae when a specific hormone reaches a given level, say researchers.
Black-and-yellow Asian swallowtail butterflies (Papilio xuthus) are found from China to Hawaii. In their early stages, their caterpillars are black and white with spines and look similar to bird droppings. As they mature and grow in size, the caterpillars become too big to pass themselves off as bird droppings and instead become plump and bright green, allowing them to camouflage themselves among leaves.
Spray the foliage with an insecticide either Bt or liquid sevin. Bt is more organic and the caterpillar will need to eat the sprayed leaves to be killed--it will take longer than the sevin which should kill the caterpillar soon after spraying--a contact insecticide. IF the caterpillars are left and the numbers are many they can defoliate the tree. But they will not kill the tree.
