Outdoor NorCal pest/caterpillar preventive ideas?

Originally Posted by bekind2yourbuds

I'm doing a NorCal outdoor grow and had some issues with caterpillar's last year. I used the safer caterpillar killer but it was late in the grow and I feel it for sure had an effect on the quality/taste. would like to do as much as I can this year to help prevent this problem.

Any suggestions? If I do use the safer should I put it directly in the water when watering? If so how often? Spray directly onto the plant? If so how often? Is there something better/more effective to use? I have read Neem Oil... any thoughts?

Many thanks for the info!!!

Yeah! It's Bud Worm Season. Pics

I'm going to use Monterrey Insect spray this year. And see how that works. Noticing Cucumber beetles all over everything this year. Little bastards.

I read on here somewhere last summer, that you can use small amounts of copper wire at the base of the stems. So I tried it this year.. I placed a small ring of wire around each stem, on top of the soil, and so far I have not had a single problem. I see the bastards all around on the grass, and have even knocked a few out of the pots.. But none seem to want to cross that copper. Apparently if they touch it, it gives them a shock.

get a better bug


Praying Mantids make fun garden pets. Mantids eat anything and everything they can catch! They constantly entertain observers while they eat insects all summer long.

Mantids eat most pest insects. Mites and their eggs are the preferred diet of these general predators. They also devour aphids, thrips, flies, maggots, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, grubs and other soft-bodied insects. Mature mantids feed on larger caterpillars, earwigs, chinch bugs, sow bugs, beetles, grasshoppers, and other larger insects. Mantids stay in your garden and wait for an insect to walk by. They then grab it with their strong grasping forelegs and begin munching away.

They make fascinating pets and are fun to watch. Praying Mantids are to shipped gardeners as egg cases, each of which contains about 200 baby mantids.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Chinese mantid is one of the largest mantids. A big female can grow to a length of up to 10.5 centimeters (over 4 inches!). The front legs are modified for capturing prey with lightning speed. Rows of sharp spines on the inside of the legs prevent the prey from escaping. Mantids often hold their front legs in a praying position, thus the name - praying mantid. Males praying mantids can fly but females can not. Mantids range in color from bright green to brownish-gray. They are the only insects that can look over their shoulder. Mantids are well equipped for camouflage. Many have a leafy, twiggy appearance. They range in size from 3/4 " to 5 inches long.FEEDING: Mantids are predators and feed largely on other insects and invertebrates. They will eat just about anything, which means they are just as likely to eat a leafhopper as a honeybee. The smaller the mantid, the smaller the prey it eats. Most mantids need to eat at least one cricket or large bug per day. The exact number and size of the bugs a mantid needs to eat will depend upon the size of the mantid and how hungry it is. Young mantids eat small fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and other very small insects such as aphids.

I heard BT is the spray to use. Baccilius something. Im gonna use that as well as praying mantis this year.

I heard BT is the spray to use. Baccilius something. Im gonna use that as well as praying mantis this year.

here is a close up of some copper "slug-sheild" i found at my local hydro shop.
before: lotsa slug/caterpillar damage. after: not so much.
IMGP0850.jpg

I was going to use the safer caterpillar killer early and try to put it directly in the soil maybe. I figure if I hit it before they start to bud I can keep any negative effects with taste to a minimum.