Yeah! It's Bud Worm Season. Pics

VolimPicke

Well-Known Member
Would it be a possible solution to use "bags" of translucent fabrics such as polyester organza and then tie these over the buds that you want to protect?

Being a translucent fabric sunlight will enter and the plant can breather but little critters will not be able to get onto your buds.

Something like this
 

GlassJoe

Well-Known Member
I've started spraying BT a couple of times a week, but I was wondering if anyone has had success supplementing their pest control with sticky traps to get the adults. My main source of budworm pressure is southern pink moth, pyrausta inornatalis (see picture).

BT does a good job, I just have the misfortune of having a salvia in my yard that I can't get rid of (which provides habitat for them), so anything to supplement the spraying regimen would be appreciated. I spray the salvia as well as my plants.

Pyrausta_inornatalis_-_Inornate_Pyrausta_Moth_(14919427565).jpg
 

See green

Well-Known Member
Yip, this is the week they usually start for me in the North east. This was August 30 last year. Once you see the egg it gets easier to see more. The problem is the ones you miss. Its impossible to remember witch flowers you checked. The BT spray is the only thing I have found that will get 95% of these pricks after they hatch. The second picture was September 22.Screenshot_20210825-141108_Gallery.jpgScreenshot_20210825-142008_Gallery.jpg
 

Nex420

Well-Known Member
Yip, this is the week they usually start for me in the North east. This was August 30 last year. Once you see the egg it gets easier to see more. The problem is the ones you miss. Its impossible to remember witch flowers you checked. The BT spray is the only thing I have found that will get 95% of these pricks after they hatch. The second picture was September 22.View attachment 4972475View attachment 4972476
Agreed. I try to pick as many as I can but once you have a dozen or so plants flowering it gets to be tedious.

BT all the way. I’ve had to go to a 2-3 day rotation since the heats been so bad this year.
 

FishingwithDave

Well-Known Member
I’ve pretty much encapsulated my grow area with 30% shade cloth. There’s definitely some challenges with doing this, but twine, fencing stakes, bamboo stakes and shotgun hulls help prop up the netting fairly well.

The moths around here in Central California appear to be too big to get through the shade cloth, and I hope that’s true. So far so good and I have seen moths all over my unprotected veggie garden area. I seem to have fewer grasshoppers too, but I’ve killed a couple of those today. Those bastards are smarter than the moths. I’m still spraying BT weekly and inspecting daily, but haven’t found any eggs or worms yet . Has anybody else tried shade cloth to protect their plants from bud worms?
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Str86ed

New Member
wtf I thought this was all stuff up north.

If your plants are in pots does this reduce the chance of getting them....

Damn im scared now!!
I’m in Virginia and it’s my first grow and these a$$holes are everywhere all over my bud plants and all other food kinda plants it’s heartbreaking and mine have leaf spot too now I want to cry

ohh mine are in POTS so the answer is no pots don’t make a poop
 

Str86ed

New Member
Use neem oil. It's safe for fruiting plants which means it won't kill you if you spray it on the buds.
mans ive read not to spray neem on budding plants because there is no testing done on the effects of smoking neem. But I’m sure I’ve smoked them all in the crap I’ve bought over that past 20 years
 

Cycad

Well-Known Member
I'm coming across them on my plants now but not too many, I just pick them off. I wonder if spiders go for them? There are a few crab and wolf spiders on my plants, I think they keep the bugs down.
 

buckaclark

Well-Known Member
There are very similar worms in my peppers.a hole at the top.plus im seeing some brown buds lower on the stalk in the center.with white debris...
 

See green

Well-Known Member
I usually stop spraying about three weeks before harvest just to be safe. It has never affected the taste for me. This was a little while ago there starting to hatch now. 20210830_181157.jpg20210830_181109.jpg
 
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