Problem Solvers

October 13, 2002

Got gardening problems? Send us your questions; we'll find the answers.

PROBLEM. I was reading about the saddleback caterpillar because one stung me. I looked it up but why would the one that stung me be all green?

The saddle and two ends were a different shade of green than the other parts, but everything else is right. -- James Swartz, e-mail

SOLUTION. There are several stinging caterpillars in our area. Perhaps the one you encountered is the spiny oak slug caterpillar, Euclea delphinii. It somewhat resembles the saddleback caterpillar, but it doesn't have much brown on it.

The saddleback caterpillar is fairly unique. If the caterpillar that stung you doesn't quite resemble the saddleback caterpillar, then it probably wasn't.

You may want to check out the following Web site on forest insects of Alabama. It has pictures of several stinging caterpillars: dept/ent/bulletins/caterpillar/ caterpillar.htm

Hope this helps. -- Bill Dimock, Newport News extension agent, 591-4838

PROBLEM. For the first time several of my houseplants, have mealybugs; they look like little dabs of cotton on stems and leaves. Can you give me any assistance how to stop the spread, and what to do to permanently get rid of them?

I have tried dabbing a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol, and for the more severe infestation I have sprayed with a plant spray. -- Betty Herringshaw, e- mail

SOLUTION. Swabs moistened with 10- to 15-percent alcohol or bleach do the trick on mealybugs unless they have heavily infested a plant.

We use Sunspray horticultural oil to get rid of bad infestations. The oil smothers the insects, so it needs to fully cover the offending creatures and then it also makes them stick. So we then try to wash off the plants with a hose and some pressure.

Check for living insects and reapply as needed until the plants are clean.

There are some beneficial insects that also will eat mealybugs, but they are not very effective in the home. -- Mike Andryczyk, curator of plant collections, Norfolk Botanical Garden, www.norfolkbotanical

Send your gardening questions to Kathy Van Mullekom, Daily Press, 7505 Warwick Blvd., Newport News 23607, or e- mail

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