Caterpillar Overview
As a whole, caterpillars are known as the larvae of moths and butterflies which are members of the order Lepidoptera. There are over 100,000 different kinds of species that fall in this order so it’s not surprising that nearly everyone has seen caterpillars which are usually found in house gardens, outdoor crops and greenhouses. They have chewing mouthparts that help them feed on any of these plants: alder, cabbage, clover, fennel, hackberry, lilac, milkweed, plum, mallow, parsley, sunflower and more.
GET A QUOTE NOWAppearance
The majority of caterpillars possess a cylindrical shape and soft segmented body with a worm-like appearance while the number of legs depends on the species. They come in different colors, among the most common are brown and green with many patterns. Some caterpillars have hairs that are spines changed to sting, safety should be observed when touching this larva.
Life-cycle
Adult female butterflies mate and choose a host plant where to lay the eggs closely together. After 5 days the eggs will hatch and worm-like creatures called larvae appear and begin feeding on their host plants. The Larvae go through numbers of molting until they reach a definite size. Then they will cease feeding and look for a place to pupate. During the pupal stage, they produce chrysalis that is similar to the colors around like green or brown. The pupae start to change their shape and later turn into butterflies.
Main Service Areas For Caterpillar Removal
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Boca Raton Caterpillar Control
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Boynton Beach Caterpillar Control
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Lake Park Caterpillar Control
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Lake Worth Caterpillar Control
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Palm Beach Gardens Caterpillar Control
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Palm Beach Caterpillar Control
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Palm Springs Caterpillar Control
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Riviera Beach Caterpillar Control
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South Bay Caterpillar Control
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South Palm Beach Caterpillar Control
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West Palm Beach Caterpillar Control
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West Lake Caterpillar Control
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Coral Springs Caterpillar Control
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Fort Lauderdale Caterpillar Control
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Pompano Beach Caterpillar Control
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Coconut Creek Caterpillar Control
Types of Caterpillar
There is a broad range of caterpillars, including the most known types are the foliage-feeders that feed on a cluster of leaves, cutworms that feed on garden vegetables and ornamentals, leafrollers that feed on fruits, and the borers tunnels bark. The fact that this butterfly larva causes extreme damage to plant and fruit-bearing trees is a big problem to deal with.
Damage
Caterpillars use their chewing and cutting mouthparts to cause extreme damage to plants if there is no early detection and prevention. Other types of caterpillars feed by scraping the surface of the leaves while some may create small holes in them. They can cause various damages to the plants when they chew foliage, tunnel stems and bark of a tree.
Control
One of the easiest ways to control the number of caterpillars in your house garden is to pick them and drop them in a bucket of soapy water. Another alternative way is spraying them using insecticidal soap that can be bought in your local store. If the first two methods don’t work, your last option would be to call your local pest control professional.
GET A QUOTE NOWLicensed, Trusted Pest Control Services
At Fleming Lawn and Pest Services, we protect your home or business with superior care. Unlike the “Big Pest Control companies” we don’t pay our technicians based on how many locations they treat in a day.