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Big bad bugs!

HELP!

I have managed to aquire Exyra moths and they have taken over my collection and are devastating the pitchers. There are too many of the buggers to hand pick and too many plants in plastic pots to do a burn. I need to do something NOW before they get really bad. I need some advice on the 'Big Guns.' I am afraid to use chemicals on my plants but I am willing. I need someone elses' experience.

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Edit: just putting the E in!
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Sorry to hear this. I've battled with it in the past and it took a few months to eradicate the problem. My advice, don't play around with picking them. Spray your plants whether they show signs or not. Then follow it up with another spray every 2-3 weeks. I've used Isotox and I know of someone that has used malathion with success.
I had the problem 2 years ago. In the fall I cut every pitcher off of my plants and burned them. I expected that the next spring would be bug-free. I was very wrong; I was picking them off the new pitchers and flowers. I finally decided that I needed to be more aggressive. I sprayed all my plants and it worked well. Two weeks later, I noticed signs of new damage. I didn't waste any time before spraying all the plants again. This worked and about 2 weeks later, more damage. I sprayed and eventually, they never returned.
I try to stay away from using chemicals but, this is one pest that gives you no choice.

imduff
 
While I never had Extra moth damage, I did recently use Malathion. It's relatively safe and breaks down easily with water. I sprayed on some Sarracenia and I didn't notice any damage to the plants.

Be sure to work with it outside as it has quite a stench. This was my first time using chemicals, and it was a surprisely agreeable to use (minus the smell).
 
I tried looking up "xyra moth" and couldn't find anything about it. Does it have another name? I'd like to know what it looks like so I know what to be out the lookout for with my plants...just in case.
 
Suzanne,

Try putting an 'E' at the beginning of the word
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One word of caution to anyone spraying for Exyra moths. These guys are rumored to be like mosquitoes in their ability to become resistant. I would advocate using 2-3 different types of insecticide and alternating between them with each spraying (i.e. spray first with Orthene and then 2 weeks later with Malathion and then a further two weeks later with Isotox and repeat the whole cycle.) It would also help to hand kill any that you can in between times to help cut back on the ones breeding and potentially carrying resistance.

Just my 2 cents
 
Aaahaaa! That would explain it! OK, let me try that again. Thanks Travis.
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PAK,
Trust me you WILL know when you have them as the destroy the pitchers. The female moth lays one egg just inside the pitcher lip and the catipillar hatches and begins chewing the pitcher. It seals the opening off with a brown water proof webbing abd often times the pitcher will collaspe. It is mostly just the newly emeging pitchers. This means I am loosing all of my late season alata, rubra and leuco pitchers. DANG!!!!

I have heard from Jim Miller that Bob Hanranahan of WIP fame uses Orthene half strenght (1 1/2 tablespoon to a gallon) once during flowering and again in June/July. I sprayed on Wed but I was still killing worms yesterday. I will spray again next week and then switch as Pyro suggested. I will keep you posted.
 
I think I had these once with my VFTs. Not sure if it was the same thing but the caterpillars also chewed from the inside of the VFT leaves to the outside, sealing of the gap with a cocoon webbing. I thought it was going through a stage of 'pupaefication' then. Anyone knows whether these moths attack any other plants besides sarracenias?

Jason
 
Jason,
They do not attack anything but sarracenais. They are very specfic. There are even different typrs of Exyra moths that only attach certain species of sarracenia.
 
  • #10
The final update on the Exyra moth infestation. I sprayed twice with the half strength Orthene. It seems to have gotten 95% of them. I am still finding a few. The spray has stunted and distorted pitchers and stopped growth on some plants. I am glad I did not spray again.
 
  • #11
Hey -

I've not had an infestation, per se, but I've seen a few Exyra larvae and destroyed them. I thought the problem was gone, but today I saw and caught an adult, so my problem will probably rear its ugly head again soon. I don't want to use chemicals, and for now the damage is small scale.

In any case, I was given a great idea for how to dispatch of the moths. They make a great meal for a VFT.

- Patrick
 
  • #12
Unfortunately, in some states it is illegal to spray Exyra rolandiana without a permit, as Sarracenia get more and more sparce, the Exyra become endangered or indanger of becoming endangered right with them, in some states
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These states include virginia and conneticut (This is all the info I could find in my bug books and online, but theres probably more states)

You might want to pick off as many larvae as you can before killing them, and give them to an entomologist for studying  (If your in Virginia or Conneticut, I wouldn't spray at all!)
 
  • #13
Thanks, Spec. That is information worth knowing.
 
  • #14
Thanks. Just, doing my job, ya know
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I edited out the "smash them anyway" comment because people seem to have trouble distinguishing my jokes from life these days
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Hope that comment wasnt the part that was worth knowing! (blah, cant make a smiley, I'm under my 2 smiley per post law from you... Max dont hold me while BW's beatin me up! Good times, Good times...)
 
  • #15
you abuse, you lose spec hehehe
 
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