Pink moth on salvia??

[aarynix]

sorry for the bad picture quality, but I saw that there were this pink moths on my salvia? and I wanted to know if anyone here may be able to tell me more information about this. I tried looking online but the only thing I got was that this is a pink moth and its a "powerful pest" but no further explanation. Are there any methods I can use to prevent or remove them (aside from hand removing all of them)? Thank you for reading and any advice!

 

[Chuck]

sorry for the bad picture quality, but I saw that there were this pink moths on my salvia? and I wanted to know if anyone here may be able to tell me more information about this. I tried looking online but the only thing I got was that this is a pink moth and its a "powerful pest" but no further explanation. Are there any methods I can use to prevent or remove them (aside from hand removing all of them)? Thank you for reading and any advice!

As for the moth itself (southern pink moth) it causes no damage. But the moth larvae (caterpillar) is what causes severe damages. One would have to literally stand guard 24/7 to keep every moth away. The secret is to minimize hatching eggs and to kill the newly hatched caterpillars. The moth flights last about 2 weeks and some years there are 2 flights usually in the mid to late summer. When one notices the moths on plants spray with Neem Oil about once per week. This will kill the eggs. It takes about 2 weeks for the eggs to hatch and any egg that was not sprayed will turn into a tiny little caterpillar that bores its way into the bud which will cause damage to the flower when it opens. A couple of days after the last spraying of Neem Oil one should spray Bt (Bacillus thuringensis) to kill the caterpillars before they can start their damage. This is what my wife did with her salvias' and it worked well.

 

[aarynix]

As for the moth itself (southern pink moth) it causes no damage. But the moth larvae (caterpillar) is what causes severe damages. One would have to literally stand guard 24/7 to keep every moth away. The secret is to minimize hatching eggs and to kill the newly hatched caterpillars. The moth flights last about 2 weeks and some years there are 2 flights usually in the mid to late summer. When one notices the moths on plants spray with Neem Oil about once per week. This will kill the eggs. It takes about 2 weeks for the eggs to hatch and any egg that was not sprayed will turn into a tiny little caterpillar that bores its way into the bud which will cause damage to the flower when it opens. A couple of days after the last spraying of Neem Oil one should spray Bt (Bacillus thuringensis) to kill the caterpillars before they can start their damage. This is what my wife did with her salvias' and it worked well.

thank you. i really appreciate the information, hope you have a good day!!!

 

[cpp gardener]

I have those cute little monsters too. I'm using Bt and hoping for relief. Here they have broods all summer long and are the main reason I avoid certain species of Salvia, coccinea especially.