Caterpillars on marijuana How to get rid of them?
Pests are one of the worst enemies of any Cannabis grower or any plant species. Today we are going to talk about caterpillars in marijuana, a pest that usually appears in outdoor crops and that can be lethal to your Cannabis plants. It is a voracious predator of marijuana leaves, stems and buds, destroying them and rendering them completely useless for consumption or for future harvests.
Getting rid of caterpillars on marijuana
Caterpillars belong to the Lepidoptera family. This means that they have a larval stage and that, after metamorphosis, they transform into butterflies with a more friendly appearance. Although there are innumerable varieties, very different in colour and size, within this insect species, all caterpillars have common characteristics. These are usually a segmented body, 6 legs and hooks used for feeding.
Symptoms of a Cannabis caterpillar infestation
One of the clearest symptoms of caterpillars on Cannabis is the sight of butterflies landing on the buds or leaves of the marijuana plant located on the higher areas of the plant. Generally, the butterfly will lay its eggs before the arrival of cold weather, so that they hatch with the onset of warmer weather on the marijuana. Thus, the presence of warmth at the end of the summer season is very important for the caterpillars to grow. It is therefore quite possible that the butterflies lay their eggs and do not hatch until the temperature is right.
Leaves are one of the favourite parts of cannabis for caterpillars. As such, they provide the main sustenance for these insects while also serving as an ideal surface for butterflies to lay their eggs. Depending on the variety of caterpillar, they will select one part of the Cannabis leaves or another. However, most commonly, if grown in the same geographical location, it is the same type of caterpillar.
The first thing to look at, therefore, are the leaves. As we have already mentioned, the upper parts are the most difficult to access and are therefore susceptible to being home to caterpillar larvae eggs. It is not easy to detect these larvae eggs with the naked eye. To do so, we can use a magnifying glass for growing marijuana, with sufficient magnification to be able to see the eggs. This way, if you look closely, you can see small groups of yellow and whitish dots.
After analysing the leaves, we can move on to checking the buds of the plant. We will start with the upper part and gradually work our way down to analyse all the buds of the Cannabis plant. We will look for small spots that do not fit in with those of the plant itself and areas of the buds that could begin to show rotting. The first areas to suffer the consequences of caterpillars on marijuana will be the areas with the softest tissues, as these are their favourites.
If we finally find a caterpillar, we should inspect the plant daily, especially during the hours when the sun is at its lowest and the humidity is at its lowest, as these are the hours when they are most active. However, the voracity of caterpillars on marijuana is such that it is not difficult to see them at any time of the day, finishing off leaves and buds of the plant.
Killing caterpillar infestations in marijuana
If after an exhaustive search for caterpillars we find signs of their presence, such as bitten leaves, the best thing to do is to apply a pest repellent product for marijuana. At Experiencia Natural we recommend Cordalene, by Trabe. This is a specialized pest control product for killing caterpillars, larvae, worms and lepidoptera in general. This product works with the bacterium Bacillus Thuringiensis var. Kurstaki which, once ingested by the crawling insects, makes their stomach crystallise and stops them feeding. Cordalene can also be applied preventively, before the attacks occur.
In case the caterpillar infestation on Cannabis appears in the last 15 days of cultivation, we have to take key measures. After examining the affected parts, we will have to be careful with their defecations, which cause botrytis. For these cases we will have to apply products such as Botrypot. This fungicide has a formula based on a mixture of nutrients and microorganisms that have specific effects on the development of the fungus. Once the product has been left to act, we must examine whether the trichomes of the Cannabis are in good condition, and if this is the case, we can proceed to harvest it, eliminating the areas affected by the caterpillar.
If you liked this article about caterpillars in marijuana and how to prevent them, we recommend that you read Discovering pinene: The most herbal Cannabis terpene.
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Founder of Experiencia Natural, creative and entrepreneur, designer, master in grower and marketing. For a normalization of all plants and substances, giving priority to patients and users.
