I spotted a type of caterpillar I don't recognise in amongst the dying-back tassels of a sweetcorn cob. I tried to remove it so I could have a closer look, but in my clumsiness, dropped it and couldn't find it. The tip of the cob in question was slightly eaten away and had a couple of holes in it.
I have tried to find a picture of the offending caterpillar, but as I said, I didn't get as good a look at it as I would have liked. The most similar corn pest I could find was the Corn Earworm, but I don't even know if this is present in the UK (although it seems to be a significant pest in the US). Anyone got any ideas?
sweetcorn caterpillar
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caz wrote:I spotted a type of caterpillar I don't recognise in amongst the dying-back tassels of a sweetcorn cob. I tried to remove it so I could have a closer look, but in my clumsiness, dropped it and couldn't find it. The tip of the cob in question was slightly eaten away and had a couple of holes in it.
I have tried to find a picture of the offending caterpillar, but as I said, I didn't get as good a look at it as I would have liked. The most similar corn pest I could find was the Corn Earworm, but I don't even know if this is present in the UK (although it seems to be a significant pest in the US). Anyone got any ideas?
I had most of my crop of sweetcorn destroyed by caterpilar(s), the offender was just over an inch long, thick hairy brown thing, was this like the one you saw?
Hi GCS,
It was probably just under an inch long. My first impression was that it was hairy, but I was so quick to try and grab - and drop - it that I was only left with a rough impression of its appearance, and can't be sure of the accuracy. That said, I thought it was predominantly brown, but with longitudinal stripes, possibly of a reddy-brown colour. I've been back to the allotment today to see if I could spot any more, but fortunately no sign of anything. Mind you, after Saturday's torrential rain here they will either have been washed off or crawled into hiding, probably munching away within the safety and comfort of my sweetcorn as I write this!
I'm not sure it's the same as whatever destroyed your crop, but I'll be keeping a close eye on it from now on. It's soul-destroying, isn't it, when you don't get to reap the rewards of all your hard work. Better luck next time.
Up until now we have been lucky not to have many sweetcorn pests in this country, but with so many people now growing this crop it's only a matter of time
It was probably just under an inch long. My first impression was that it was hairy, but I was so quick to try and grab - and drop - it that I was only left with a rough impression of its appearance, and can't be sure of the accuracy. That said, I thought it was predominantly brown, but with longitudinal stripes, possibly of a reddy-brown colour. I've been back to the allotment today to see if I could spot any more, but fortunately no sign of anything. Mind you, after Saturday's torrential rain here they will either have been washed off or crawled into hiding, probably munching away within the safety and comfort of my sweetcorn as I write this!
I'm not sure it's the same as whatever destroyed your crop, but I'll be keeping a close eye on it from now on. It's soul-destroying, isn't it, when you don't get to reap the rewards of all your hard work. Better luck next time.
Up until now we have been lucky not to have many sweetcorn pests in this country, but with so many people now growing this crop it's only a matter of time