QuestionHow do I control or get rid of scale without hurting the baby and full grown caterpillars? I love my butterflies and do not want to do anything that would disrupt their life cycle.
AnswerHi Beth,,,,Horticultural Oil will kill the Scale,,,but I am afraid that the caterpillars will ingest the oil and it will most certainly effect their health also, albeit not kill them; if you can spray the Scale and monitor the Caterpillars then the next day you can spray down the plant and remove any residual oil along with the dead scale........Horticultural Oil suffocates the Scale,,,and is not poisonous,,,but it is still oil based and not being an Entomologist,,,I can't tell you its effect should the caterpillars consume it.
