DON’T LET PESTS MEANDER ON YOUR OLEANDER

What’s that ugly caterpillar you see on your thinning oleanders? Is it the Syntomeida epilais Walker, commonly known as the oleander caterpillar? Or the spotted oleander caterpillar moth?

If you live in Southwest Florida, you’re probably seeing an infestation of oleander caterpillars (no spots). If this critter with its bright-orange body and tufts of long black hair sets its sights on your oleanders, prepare yourself. It’ll be just a matter of days before you could see complete defoliation.

But no reason to despair. Even though these caterpillars will chomp away at the leaves, they’ll cause no long-term harm to the plant. The blemish is purely aesthetic. Yes, they may consume great numbers of leaves, but if your plants are healthy, new ones will sprout and no one will ever know your oleanders had a problem. So why can’t birds just swoop down and snarf these guys up as delicious little snacks? Well, even though birds are often great predators of caterpillars, they won’t get near this pest due to its poisonous diet of oleander leaves. Your options? You can hope the oleander caterpillar’s natural enemies – stink bugs, wasps, and fire ants – will save the day, but a smarter choice would be to contact your professional landscape-maintenance company for other options to eliminate your infestation.

And in case you’re wondering, these ugly critters are harmless to humans unless you come into direct contact with them. Touching them can produce an itchy, painful skin rash, and touching your eyes after contact can cause inflammation. Be sure to wear gloves and wash your hands. Myth buster: Oleander caterpillars don’t spread yellow fever virus as some might think.

More facts: Native to the Caribbean, the oleander caterpillar inhabits Florida year round until the cooler winter temperatures kill it off until the following spring. Its orange eggs are laid in clusters on the bottom of the oleander leaf. Once hatched, the caterpillar begins to feed on its host plant until it’s time to wrap itself in a silk cocoon and emerge as a polka-dot moth. The moth’s five-day lifespan is filled with finding a mate to start the whole process once again.

Everything you need to know about oleander caterpillars is right here. And yes, they chomp on mandevilla vine, too.