Green Caterpillar Eating Mint
There are a few different pests and bugs that can start to eat away from your mint plants. Some of these include Alfalfa and Cabbage loopers. These are unfortunately not uncommon in the garden and can cause havoc if left unchecked.
They can grow almost 1 – 2 inches long so they will be pretty easy to spot on the mint plant. In this article we will discuss further on the issues these cause and what you can do about it. Follow along and hopefully you will learn something about how you can better keep your plants safe in the garden.
Green Caterpillar Eating Mint
Just like we said in the beginning of this article we mentioned that there are two very common caterpillars that will eat mint. These are called Alfalfa and Cabbage loopers. But they will grow pretty large and therefore easier to spot.
These will start to consume the mint leaves once they start to get established. You will notice chunks of the mint leaves from the plant start to disappear from them eating it.
Now these two bugs or insects are called loopers but they are very similar to caterpillars. They both are very interested in mint plants or any culinary herb for that matter really.
The best way of keeping them away without using any chemicals or non natural means is by first manually removing them. Since they grow almost 1 – 2 inches long they should be pretty easy to spot on the plant. Other than that a big thing you can also do is make sure the plant is very healthy.
Generally speaking a healthy plant will have a lot more natural resistance to attacks from bugs, insects or diseases. But once the insects have established themselves in your garden they can be hard to get rid of. Then it might even be worth considering removing the whole plant, which will cut out some food sources for the caterpillars.
Is the grass in your garden smelling like mint when you cut it? In this article right here we will discuss this further, Grass That Smells Like Mint.
How Do I Get Rid Of Green Caterpillars On Mint
Like we mentioned in the paragraphs above here, The best way to remove green caterpillars from your mint is by manually doing it. This will probably be the most effective method actually. It might sound like a ton of work but since the green caterpillars will grow between 1 – 2 inches long they should be easily spotted.
Other than that, having a very healthy plant will mitigate the likelihood of any insects starting to attack them. As the plant is healthy is can better repel attacks from both insects or pests and diseases.
With that being said, since you probably don’t have a whole lot of mint plants growing in your garden at home, then it might even be worth considering removing the plant if the issue is severe. Once the insects have really set themselves in there it can be difficult to remove without any use of chemicals.
Are you curious about any plants that smell and sort of look like mint? In this article right here we will discuss that even further. Find it here, Plant That Smells Like Mint.
What Is Eating My Mint Leaves
There are a number of different things that can be eating away at your mint plants. But fortunately it’s not just to mint plants, these insects can really attack any of your plants at home so don’t feel like having mint at home will make them a target.
Some of the most common ones will be spider mites, looper worms, flea beetles, aphids, cutworms and lastly thrips. These all have in common that they will harm your plant.
The best way we find to get rid of them is by having a healthy plant. This will enforce the natural defense system the plant has. But even with this it can be susceptible to attacks. But generally speaking a healthy plant will not be a target for insects.
Removing the insects manually can be a good idea if your garden is not very large yet. But if you have a bigger one then if the issues have been going on for a long time then removing the whole plant might be necessary. But for us that is always a last resort.
