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Suddenly i have tons of these bugs on my desert rose. It has been raining here every day for about a week so I had not checked on my plants. Today i went out and these things have killed all the flowers and are eating the leaves. they are all over it.
does anyone know what it is and how to get rid of? I don't want these spreading to my other plants.
They appear to be stinging caterpillars...possibly of the Buckwing moth or a relative. Do not touch them barehanded as the spines are connected to poison glands and while not deadly, the hurt like the dickens...akin to receiving an electric shock.
These are not "stinging" caterpillars. They are Oleander Moth caterpillars (Syntomeida epilais), and they produce NO pain when handled. It is always good, however, to be cautious when cosidering handling caterpillars.
flatpickit is dead on. happens every year on mine. Bt is a quick organic fix. spray and they eat it and die. they won't spread to other plants unless it would be Oleander or something similar. they are very plant specific. the good news is that your plant will recover, even if every leaf is eaten.
wanted to add a picture of the "Uncle Sam or Polka Dot Moth" which is the adult form of your little cats: /photos/37463912@N06/4667309529/
