# Caterpillars on Hops Plants



## No.42-jsb (9/10/17)

Hi guys. I found these suckers eating my hops plants. Anyone had these and how did they get rid of them? Thanks!


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## good4whatAlesU (9/10/17)

Quite a few insecticides for controlling caterpillars available at local supermarket / nursery / bunnings etc.

Few (if any) registered for use in hops, but most will work. Use at your own risk.

edit: For example I use Yates tomato and vegetable dust to successfully control caterpillars in my tomatoes.


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## Rocker1986 (9/10/17)

I used Yates success on my Hallertau while they were young with good results. Didn't bother with the Cascade plant this year since it's already at the top of the trellis and has a heap of growth on it.


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## Danscraftbeer (9/10/17)

Dipel. 
On your bunnilks shelf as Yates Caterpillar Killer. Its a killer to caterpillars and nothing else. Organic tick etc.


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## wynnum1 (10/10/17)

Neem oil may be worth trying on the leaves but probably not good to put on flowers.


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## TheWiggman (10/10/17)

I used to battle quite a bit with Caterpillars on zucchini, Success tended to do a good job.


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## Rocker1986 (10/10/17)

wynnum1 said:


> Neem oil may be worth trying on the leaves but probably not good to put on flowers.


I don't know about others but once the plants grew to a decent height and "bushiness" I stopped using the chemicals. They were only applies to the leaves when the plants were young, although sometimes I'd direct spray caterpillars if I saw any. Never used on the flowers themselves though.


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## good4whatAlesU (10/10/17)

Some are contact (affect only the area applied) and some are systemic (are adsorbed into the tissue and move about the plant on their own). Good to know which one you are using.


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## wynnum1 (10/10/17)

good4whatAlesU said:


> Quite a few insecticides for controlling caterpillars available at local supermarket / nursery / bunnings etc.
> 
> Few (if any) registered for use in hops, but most will work. Use at your own risk.
> 
> edit: For example I use Yates tomato and vegetable dust to successfully control caterpillars in my tomatoes.


What is a hop classified as *Success™ Neo for farmers seems to be registered for a lot of different plants .*


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## Belgrave Brewer (10/10/17)

Kill them all!!!! 

When I find them, I pull them off and step on them. Hopefully you are only dealing with the occasional one and don't have to spray. If you see eggs on the bottom side of a leaf, remove leaf and burn.


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## good4whatAlesU (10/10/17)

wynnum1 said:


> What is a hop classified as *Success™ Neo for farmers seems to be registered for a lot of different plants .*


A hop is a hop (Humulus lupulus)

In NSW, I don't think there are any herbicides registered for caterpillars in hops. But TAS and VIC I think there are registered options, where are you located?

Current registrations, permits can be verified with APVMA and/or PubCris. Each state is different as to what is allowed. 

https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris


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## No.42-jsb (10/10/17)

Located in NSW.


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## wynnum1 (11/10/17)

good4whatAlesU said:


> A hop is a hop (Humulus lupulus)
> 
> In NSW, I don't think there are any herbicides registered for caterpillars in hops. But TAS and VIC I think there are registered options, where are you located?
> 
> ...



Is a hop one of these when they get a registration for a pesticide it costs a shit load of money and to make changes . 

Vegetables
Herbs
Sub-tropical fruit crops
Citrus
Ornamentals
Forestry
Forage brassicas
Canola
Sweet corn


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## good4whatAlesU (11/10/17)

wynnum1 said:


> Is a hop one of these when they get a registration for a pesticide it costs a shit load of money and to make changes .
> 
> Vegetables
> Herbs
> ...


Those are very broad categories. 

Formally speaking, anyone wanting to use a pesticide (particularly commercially) need to contact the APVMA to determine if it is registered for that pest (or crop) in their particular State. 

Each State varies in their law. My understanding is that in NSW the pesticide is registered for a specific Pest rather than for a type of Crop.


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## good4whatAlesU (11/10/17)

Apologies. I have discovered that there is an exemption for domestic use (at least under the NSW regulation). However, the wording is tricky (see below) 

" ... a product that is widely available to the general public at retail outlets, is ordinarily used for domestic purposes (including home gardening) ... " ... so whether this covers hops (sticking several metres up in the air and leaning over the neighbors fence for example) ... I'm not sure. Use at your own risk/ discretion. 

*Pesticides Regulation 2017
Current version for 25 August 2017 to date (accessed 11 October 2017 at 08:48)
Part 1 Clause 4
4 Exempt domestic like use of pesticide
The use of a pesticide by a person is an exempt domestic like use of pesticide for the purposes of this Regulation if the pesticide is, or is part of, a product that is widely available to the general public at retail outlets, is ordinarily used for domestic purposes (including home gardening), is being applied by hand or hand-held applicator and:
(a) if the product is being used outdoors—no more than 20 litres or 20 kilograms of “ready-to-use” product or 5 litres or 5 kilograms of concentrated product is being used, or
(b) if the product is being used indoors—no more than 5 litres or 5 kilograms of “ready-to-use” product or 1 litre or 1 kilogram of concentrated product is being used.*


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## technobabble66 (11/10/17)

Why not just use pyrethrum spray?
I normally just inspect and squash the offenders, but if I was to spray, I'd use pyrethrum. Is the some reason not to?


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## wynnum1 (11/10/17)

If you use the same pesticide all the time they build up immunity what every you use if the hops are flowering not good for the bees.


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## good4whatAlesU (11/10/17)

Many ways to skin the cat. 

Pyrethrum I understand is contact (non systemic) and non targeted (can be harmful to other insects). .. very few things are perfect.


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## Danscraftbeer (11/10/17)

Re - Dipel. Its the safest choice and it does work. its also effective for weeks if your good at spraying the underside of the foliage.



technobabble66 said:


> Why not just use pyrethrum spray?
> I normally just inspect and squash the offenders, but if I was to spray, I'd use pyrethrum. Is the some reason not to?



Having Aquaponics I'll only use organic certified products that wont harm aquatic life etc. Many products that are made from natural ingredients (like Pyrethrum, Neem Oil and many other choices) can be harmful in my situation.
Dipel is safe use on edible plants and Garlic chilli spray (Richgrow brand) also kills catapillars, aphids etc is also safe for edible crops.
Also favor any predator allies you have in the garden like Lizards, spiders, Praying Mantis, They'll take care of a few too.


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## wide eyed and legless (11/10/17)

Best thing for caterpillars, finger and thumb, there is never great hordes like aphids, just squash em.


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## pie man (21/10/17)

If you are lucky to have them paper wasps can be a sort of blessing in disguise, they clean out all caterpillars from your garden. They are peaceful if left alone but you need to know where the nest is.


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (21/10/17)

Just to back up the above mentioned use of DiPel: it is not a chemical, it's a form of biological control. The product is a preparation of bacterial spores* that infect the caterpillars. Since the infection is quite specific to _Lepidoptera _larvae, it won't harm other animals (including humans).

As far as I am aware it is registered for use against the target pests (the above mentioned caterpillars) in every state and has no withholding period.


* The bug is a specific strain of _Bacillus thuringiensis. _


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## good4whatAlesU (22/10/17)

Dipel can be used by backyard hop gardeners under the domestic exemption, but I don't think it's registered commercially for hops in NSW.

Check out the APVMA website to be sure. Sometimes if an industry is relatively small, it's simply not worth the cost to the pesticide company to register for that purpose in that state.

Edit: I would also make a short note that not all things biological are necessarily best. Cane Toads, for example were are a biological control.


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## wide eyed and legless (23/10/17)

technobabble66 said:


> Why not just use pyrethrum spray?
> I normally just inspect and squash the offenders, but if I was to spray, I'd use pyrethrum. Is the some reason not to?


 Pyrethrum spray does not single out just the pest insects, it kills bees and other beneficial insects as does Yates Success and Derris dust . Though a natural insecticide they are made from plants, which the plants in turn made to reduce insect attack.
Caterpillars finger and thumb or Dipel


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## good4whatAlesU (23/10/17)

Dipel takes 3-4 days to kill the caterpillar (it's not a quick death). . . Quicker actives are out there but they kill other things too. 

Finger and thumb is good, but you've got to catch them in the act .. 

Nothing is perfect.


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## No.42-jsb (17/11/17)

So a combination of squashing the ones I found early in the morning and spraying with Dipel worked. Got rid of the suckers for now!


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## Danscraftbeer (17/11/17)

Dipel works for weeks. It is the Organic option. Organic Certified. Gotta respect that. Good to have a rod sprayer and spray the underneath of leaves. That's were the buggers spend most their time and it lasts as a preventive inoculation so to speak. Even if it rains etc. Once a month foliage spray and you will never have caterpillars while effectively culling the population of moths and butterflies that lay the eggs.


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