I found a leaf roller bug

[carlosescobar]

I found a leaf roller moth today on an outside plant so i thought i would take some pics, could be mistaken for something else but i do only find one at a time. as you can see they have a good ol munch before bedtime. they are almost clear so you can miss them even if you open the leaf up.

 

[Oldchucky]

I found a leaf roller moth today on an outside plant so i thought i would take some pics, could be mistaken for something else but i do only find one at a time. as you can see they have a good ol munch before bedtime. they are almost clear so you can miss them even if you open the leaf up.

At least they give themselves up! If you’re gonna have cats, that be the one to have!

 

[mancorn]

Hopefully you’re spraying with Bt now! They’re easy to pickoff at this point, but will become a nightmare in September & October when it’ll be too late to spray.

 

[carlosescobar]

Hopefully you’re spraying with Bt now! They’re easy to pickoff at this point, but will become a nightmare in September & October when it’ll be too late to spray.

Ive just had to mist them last week because of all the aphids around this year, there doesnt seem to be many predators around like wasps or ladybugs

 

[mancorn]

Pretty much need the Bt on a regular basis through early flower. (It breaks down quickly in the sun, so best at night).

Once in flower, you’ll need good reading glasses (or headband style) and inspect the plants daily for the eggs. (Hopefully you’re retired as it can take hours. ) The moths will normally lay on the underside of the leaves and you let 1 little fucker through and the bud is toast. I use a thin rigid wire (used for floral arrangements) to remove the eggs as they’ll stick to it and easy to pull out.

 

[carlosescobar]

Pretty much need the Bt on a regular basis through early flower. (It breaks down quickly in the sun, so best at night).

Once in flower, you’ll need good reading glasses (or headband style) and inspect the plants daily for the eggs. (Hopefully you’re retired as it can take hours. ) The moths will normally lay on the underside of the leaves and you let 1 little fucker through and the bud is toast. I use a thin rigid wire (used for floral arrangements) to remove the eggs as they’ll stick to it and easy to pull out.

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so do they lay multiple eggs all over a plant ? i was thinking of putting this in the wild field next door and letting it do its thing, its a photo period and i dont want it in the garden all summer

 

[Ninjadogma]

so do they lay multiple eggs all over a plant ? i was thinking of putting this in the wild field next door and letting it do its thing, its a photo period and i dont want it in the garden all summer

Awesome idea, let her go all hairy legged and stuff! But if you're growing outdoors, and I'll say it to all you folks playing around outdoors, if you aren't incorporating pest management from day one, don't come crying on the Farm when you lose your harvest or a good chunk of it. And sometimes some of those deficiencies you come across aren't lack of nutrients, it's because bugs are going all Dracula on your plant and literally sucking the life out of it. The war on bugs is like the war on drugs. Looks like it's going well but you have no idea whatsoever how much is sneaking through that you don't catch.

 

[mancorn]

so do they lay multiple eggs all over a plant ? i was thinking of putting this in the wild field next door and letting it do its thing, its a photo period and i dont want it in the garden all summer

Yes unfortunately. Not hundreds, but on a large plant you may find 5-10 each day. Maybe you’ll get lucky and won’t be a major problem.

I’m in CA and we have some of our best weather is in October and the worms are prolific in my area. Some growers get so tired of fighting them they’ll permanently net them (or even give up outdoors).

Sounds like in your case the best solution is Bt spray. (Multiple brands specifically for caterpillars.) It’s an organic spray, but the caterpillars have to chew on the leaves after spraying the plant, so doesn’t kill on contact. And the spray breaks down quickly in the sun, so you’ll need to repeatedly apply during vegetation. During veg the cats will either roll leaves or silk together multiple leaves to hide out. But once the plant starts flowering the worms hatch and immediately head into the buds where they’re safe. At this point the spray isn’t really effective as the spray won’t get into to bud foliage so the worms aren’t eating the Bt. Instead they begin feasting on the bud (normally right up near the stalk) and start shitting little black pellets. This then starts rotting the bud from the inside where you won’t see the damage and the bud looks normal. By the time you first see a yellowing sugar leaf, the cola will have been destroyed.

Here’s an example, where the bud looks good in September. But if you zoom in you can see 1 yellow sugar leaf. This bud was a total loss.

 

[Ninjadogma]

Pretty much need the Bt on a regular basis through early flower. (It breaks down quickly in the sun, so best at night).

Once in flower, you’ll need good reading glasses (or headband style) and inspect the plants daily for the eggs. (Hopefully you’re retired as it can take hours. ) The moths will normally lay on the underside of the leaves and you let 1 little fucker through and the bud is toast. I use a thin rigid wire (used for floral arrangements) to remove the eggs as they’ll stick to it and easy to pull out.

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The only thing more disappointing than smashing trichomes trying to dig bud worms out is separating a bud to dig the asshole out and that piece comes right off because asshole already rotted it.

 

[mancorn]

The only thing more disappointing than smashing trichomes trying to dig bud worms out is separating a bud to dig the asshole out and that piece comes right off because asshole already rotted it.

Yeah you’re inspecting the plant, it looks fine, then you see a tiny yellow sugar leaf, give it a tug, and a giant chuck of bud, shit, and caterpillar tumbles out. It’s crazy how the bud can look completely normal and yet be so completely trashed. I can’t stress enough, how important is it to begin spray early in the season! For me it’s starts in June. If I don’t knock down the population in June and July I’m toast in Sept & October.

And it’s not just weed. Most growers call them “bud worms”, and they’re eating the buds of all the other plants flowering this time of year. Vegging cannabis isn’t necessarily a good habitat - easy for the worms to get picked off by birds (and why they’re rolling leaves to hide). But once you’re in flower it’s the bees knees for the worms.

In the OPs case it’s going to be a crap shot out in a field. Hopefully it’ll start snowing at his place late September.

 

[carlosescobar]

oh Sh*t, ive just been out with the magnifier and found 2 more eggs, but now im thinking of my other plants. am i right in thinking if aphids are feeding on a plant, doesnt the plant put out more oils and or tricomes to try and deter them. ?

 

[mancorn]

oh Sh*t, ive just been out with the magnifier and found 2 more eggs, but now im thinking of my other plants. am i right in thinking if aphids are feeding on a plant, doesnt the plant put out more oils and or tricomes to try and deter them. ?

Plants put out pheromones to attract beneficial insect when attacked. So the lady bugs will show in a few weeks.

But don’t think aphids are going to help with trichome production. They’re pretty easy to kill and better not to let them get out of hand.

 

[crabideau2002]

Ive just had to mist them last week because of all the aphids around this year, there doesnt seem to be many predators around like wasps or ladybugs

I've noticed this, it is my first year but a rapid drop in wasps and predators on my property in NY.

 

[Oldchucky]

oh Sh*t, ive just been out with the magnifier and found 2 more eggs, but now im thinking of my other plants. am i right in thinking if aphids are feeding on a plant, doesnt the plant put out more oils and or tricomes to try and deter them. ?

I think they do! If the infestation happens at the right time! Had a couple of plants that had a good thrip infestation that I was a little lax in dealing with! The plant got ugly, the bud got ugly, but it was some oily frosty shit in the end! I think there’s something to it!

 

[crabideau2002]

I think they do! If the infestation happens at the right time! Had a couple of plants that had a good thrip infestation that I was a little lax in dealing with! The plant got ugly, the bud got ugly, but it was some oily frosty shit in the end! I think there’s something to it!

It puts the plant into overdrive, my skywalker started to grow faster after I stressed her, I am now LST'ing all the girls. But the bugs did not arrive for me until I fed it my Alaska Fish 5-1-1 feed.

 

[carlosescobar]

Plants put out pheromones to attract beneficial insect when attacked. So the lady bugs will show in a few weeks.

But don’t think aphids are going to help with trichome production. They’re pretty easy to kill and better not to let them get out of hand.

I think they do! If the infestation happens at the right time! Had a couple of plants that had a good thrip infestation that I was a little lax in dealing with! The plant got ugly, the bud got ugly, but it was some oily frosty shit in the end! I think there’s something to it!

i was flickin through a grow magazine a few weeks ago and i saw that you can buy chitin to add to your feed , which , i think ,mimics insect attack. !

 

[GeorgeJ10]

Nice find! Leaf roller moths can be tricky since they’re small and blend in so well. Good call on keeping an eye out and snapping pics, catching them early helps a lot!