Caterpillars keep turning black and dying on my butterfly...
Not sure how this started happening. Third catterpillar ive seen dead like this. There have been caterpillars to successfully turn into butterflies so im not sure what couldve happened to make my plant kill them. This is a huge passionflower and there are other caterpillars on the plant. Im not sure what I should do #help #bugs #gardening #helpneeded
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I’m sorry I caterpillars keep dying on you. I have learned that there are these flies lay eggs inside the caterpillars, which can slowly kill them. Also whether changes if it’s too hot or too cold and another thing is called an NVP virus mixed with bacteria that slowly makes the caterpillar lethargic turn black, and then slowly just turn into a foul smelling goo as they deflate and die pesticides can also be a factor for why your caterpillars are not making it. a good way to stop this from spreading I read is to sanitize the whole enclosure if they’re enclosure or the whole area that they’re in using one part bleach to 10 parts water, the sanitize everything also if a caterpillar seems to be getting symptoms of the black death that says it’s called. It’s best to remove it from the area so it doesn’t spread to the others. I hope this information helps! I wish you and your caterpillar is the best.
@StoriedUngnadia thank you! Ive seen people say to disinfect the plant but im not sure how to because butterflies are still coming every day and laying their eggs. I dont want to put bleach on the leaves and they'd eat it and die from that you know? This plant is also outside in a garden bed so im not sure how id sanitize the whole thing
@DoyenneLithop46 it’s a very diluted solution of one part bleach to 10 parts of water so it’s mostly water than a little bit of bleach. Otherwise, you can use a soapy wash with like a safety soap like dawn is the things that I keep coming up with online when I researched your problem
@DoyenneLithop46 since you mentioned it an outside plant in a garden bed. I wonder if there’s something in the soil itself that has the insects in it that are infecting your caterpillars
@StoriedUngnadia I have no idea. Im trying to get an ant population under control maybe they have something to do with it
i do not know