Question
We have a few of these eating in our cemetery at Kimeo, Greenleaf.Kansas. They have striped some plants.Is there a control or what should we do. Thanks Duane Klozenbucher

Answer
Hi Duane,
Thanx for your question.  What you have is the cecropia moth which is not generally considered a pest although it sounds like it is taking a bit of a toll on some of your plants.  I would think you would be able to control the moth with Bt (Bacullis thuringiensis) which is an organic method for effectively controlling a lot of types of caterpillars.  You can find this in powder or liquid form.  Follow the directions on the package.  It is not harmful to humans or beneficials such as praying mantis and lady bugs.  It does not harm birds that feed on the bugs and is not harmful to livestock.  It's pretty benign.  What it is?  It's a microbe that when ingested by the caterpillar, it destroys their feeding system internally and the pest dies.  That's the short story.  Physiologically, for the pest, it's a bit more complicated than that.

I'd like for you to contact the Washington County Extension.  Contact information is shown below.  Because this moth is not considered a pest, I could find nothing regarding its control.  My experience with caterpillar control revolves around tomato hornworm and pests of corn and cole crops.

http://www.rivervalley.ksu.edu/DesktopDefault.aspx

I hope this helps.
Tom