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Sun, Oct 17, 10 at 0:18
| I have never had this happen before. Usually my lily pads are very healthy. However, I noticed that something had been eating them. After closer inspection, they are literally covered with these rather large, dark, fuzzy caterpillars. I have goldfish, and I don't use chemicals in my pond or garden so I am not sure what to do. We should be having some fairly cold weather around the end of November. Will this take care of them? Will they come back next spring? What could have caused this infestation? I added some new goldfish to my pond a couple of weeks ago. They were given to me by some folks who had too many fish in their pond. Would this have any influence on the caterpillars invading my pond? Any help or ideas would be appreciated. I have lantana and roses planted around the edge of my pond. Don't know if this would have caused the caterpillars or not. I haven't noticed them on anything but the lily pads. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by pashta_2006 Z4 ADK NY (pashta@aol.com) on Sun, Oct 17, 10 at 8:37
| It is possible these are Salt Marsh Caterpillars. They do feed on lily pads and are common in TX. If you do a google on them you can find all kinds of information. Bacillus thuringiensis is recommended for caterpillars and doesn't harm birds or other insects as it is a naturally occuring bacteria that kills only grubs and caterpillars. However I don't know if it has any negative effect on fish. You might have to hand pick the ones you can reach. Hopefully someone else can jump in with better info than I have. I don't see how bringing in fish could introduce these to your pond unless you also brought in plant material that might have had eggs on it. Maybe it is just a coincidence. Good luck. |
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- Posted by bunnycottage z8 tx (My Page) on Sun, Oct 17, 10 at 19:27
| Thank you, Anne. I went out this afternoon and killed as many as I could reach. I used water pressure from my hose to knock off any remaining ones. I hope they drown or are eaten by my goldfish. |
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- Posted by pondmaninal 7b (My Page) on Sun, Oct 17, 10 at 20:24
| Anne, BT has no affect on fish, frogs, snails, or any other aquatic creature. |
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