I'm scratching my head as to what is eating my dwarf bugainvillea and what are those brown pellet-like things on it.



I try not to spray chemicals on the plants, I just spray the organic stuff when necessary. I know that insects need to eat something. As long as it is not extensive damage, I let things be. However, what I initially thought were insect droppings, appear to be all over the plant.

You can see in the picture that leaves have been munched.

What the heck is that?! I can't see any insects except tiny spiders, and the damage seems to be from a caterpillar of some sort.

Can you help me identify what's colonized this plant, and if there is any hope to save it?

Your photo isn't enlarging to give a good view of the damaged leaves but I think the culprit might be the Bougainvillea Looper Caterpillar:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG...

http://acwm.co.la.ca.us/pdf/Bo...

Thanks. I'll look into it.

Just in case, here is a bigger pic...



Those brown pellet things look scary, and are all over...

That's caterpillar poo. There should be a big muncher somewhere. Look under the leaves.

Goodness gracious, that's a LOT of caterpillar poo!

It's literally all over my poor plant. Ok, at least I know that gazillions of critters are going to emerge from these pellets and kill it.

Thanks all for your help.

[quote="MamaIve12" I know that gazillions of critters are going to emerge from these pellets and kill it. . [/quote]

Wait, I think you misunderstood. The pellets will not produce any new critters, I don't think. They are waste material, not eggs.

I think you're going to have to try scouting your bougie after dark, maybe. Use a flashlight to see if you can find the caterpillars. Wear your gloves, pick them off and stomp them. That's the most environmentally sound method, if there aren't too many. Otherwise, you might try some Bt sprayed on the leaves. It's not harmful to other insects, just targets whatever eats the leaves.

Now that I can see the enlarged photo, I agree with Elaine, those little black droppings are caterpillar waste (poop)! Army worms leave droppings like that also but I don't think Army Worms bother Bougainvillea plants.

You may have one or more caterpillar's hiding underneath the leaves ... hopefully you can eradicate them so they don't continue to dine on your Bougainvillea.

No, no, no, I got it!

What I meant was *this morning* that's was my impression when I inspected the plant.

You might want to ID them before killing them or doing anything. Giant swallowtail is a butterfly who uses Bougainvillea for a host in the caterpillar stage. Also found many other butterflies that use Bougainvillea as a host plant

http://miamiblue.org/sources.h...

See small bite marks, then leaves turn DK.Brown, then Black.
Images inclosed.

Hmm, it may or may not be the same thing on both plants but on the tree, I'd look on the undersides of the leaves for Sri Lanka weevils. They are white or very light grey bugs about 1/4in. long sometimes with spots. When you disturb them they can fly but not very well.

If you can put a dark colored tarp or even a black garbage bag down on the ground under the tree and shake a branch above it, they will fall onto the bag/tarp.

If that's what you find, they are extremely resistant to most kinds of insecticides and the best defense is to disrupt their life cycle by simply shaking them off the tree onto the ground and stomping on them. Or, I entertained myself one summer by going outside at night with a flashlight, and picking them off the plants by hand. I'd find 20 or so each night, and it only took me a few weeks to pretty much eliminate them.

They mate on the plant that they are feeding on, then drop to the ground, and lay their eggs in the soil, so if you can catch them either on the plant or on the ground before they disappear that's the way to deal with them.

Found a picture of one for you:

I found this website to confirm that those small brown things are "catapiller (looper) poop." That's helpful. And yes, shaking the plant at night with a flashlight helps shake the critters out.

I also learned that the loopers' eggs are laid by moths. When I shake the plant before the loopers show up, moths fly out from the plant.

Anyone know something preventative that would discourage the moths showing up?

Hope we can help you.

BT, or Bacillus thuringiensis, interferes with the digestion of moths causing them to die before they can become the caterpillars that are eating your plants. Look at the ingredient listing on the insecticides at your local garden center and find one that lists BT as the primary ingredient. This is a naturally occurring bacteria that has been used for years by organic growers.