I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

Tim wrote:
I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb


They're probably black swallow tail butterfly caterpillars. If you want
to save your dill move them over to some parsley that is ready to bolt.

George

Or it might be anise swallowtail.

Wait til those caterpillars get bigger--they're really gorgeous. And so are
the butterflies--flying flowers.

--

Visit insectgraphics.com for all your insect gift needs
Charlie wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Jun 2007 07:57:11 -0400, "Tim"
wrote:

I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

George is right. I have them on mine. I plant extra for them.

BTW...if you touch them, they will exude a gawd-awful pungent scent on
your fingers.

Charlie

"Tim" expounded:

I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

I get them every year. They're gorgeous!

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

They'll eat them down to the nubs. They'll resprout leaves after the
caterpillars leave (which they will)

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

You need to grow more dill G Seriously, I've got it sprouting all
over the place (because I let it set seed), I just pull it from where
I don't want it. This way they get all the dill they want, and so do
I. I think I counted six out there yesterday.
--
Ann
e-mail address is not checked

In article ,
"Tim" wrote:

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

If you don't reward beauty, it disappears.
--
Billy
Coloribus gustibus non disputatum (mostly)

Thanks all for the knowledge. I definitely think they are the Black Swallow
caterpillers (very young). I'll leave them be on three of the plants and
see if they'll leave the fourth alone.

Tim
--
"The words of the tongue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

In article ,
"Tim" wrote:

I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

Plant some parsley or Anise and move them.
They are most likely Tiger Swallowtails.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

In article ,
"Tim" wrote:

Thanks all for the knowledge. I definitely think they are the Black Swallow
caterpillers (very young). I'll leave them be on three of the plants and
see if they'll leave the fourth alone.

Tim

Just move them gently. :-)

Wear gloves.

See if you can find some parsley plants at the nursery.
They do just fine on those. I never have allowed them to stay on the
dill weed as I use too much of it, but moving them won't hurt them.

And Like I said, Anise works too.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

"George Shirley" wrote in message
news | Tim wrote:
| I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for
the
| first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
| Dill.
|
| Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?
|
| I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.
|
| Tim
|
| "The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
| Is it true?
| Is it kind?
| Is it necessary?"
| -Arab proverb
|
|
| They're probably black swallow tail butterfly caterpillars. If you want
| to save your dill move them over to some parsley that is ready to bolt.
|
| George
|

I always plant extra dill. It grows like a weed.

Kimberly

I really need to get out more...I totally misread the 'Dill' when I first
glanced at this thread...


"Tim" wrote in message
...
I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

LOL!

Yes, maybe you should get out more.

-Tim

"Lilah Morgan" wrote in message
ink.net...
I really need to get out more...I totally misread the 'Dill' when I first
glanced at this thread...


"Tim" wrote in message
...
I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for
the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

In article , Charlie wrote:

I'm curious. Maybe I'm the only one to have done this. I smell a lot
of things, I mean I sniff things.

The Black Swallowtail catepillars, when gently touched, poke out their
antennae, or whatever they are called, get all kinds of defensive and
leave a smell on your finger that is really .......pungent.

Have you done this, and does the Anise Swallowtail react (and smell)
this way?

Care
Charlie

Self-defense against predators. :-)
Those antennae things exude a nasty tasting (and smelling) substance.

No, I've never tasted it!

Monarch butterflies are also toxic and will make birds sick if they eat
them. It teaches them to avoid brightly colored things.

Toxicity seems to come with bright colors in some animals. The poison
arrow treefrog is a perfect example.
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson

They are beautiful caterpillars.

I have a very small herb garden. The first year I let the black
swallowtail caterpillars be and they ate my dill to a nub in no time.
The dill never recovered, as it gets VERY hot here in the summer. So,
the 2nd year I resorted to dusting the plants with BT BT is a
bacterium which is toxic to caterpillars, but not to people, so it's
safe for herbs.

Good luck!

Tim wrote:

I have four dill plants, all about 16" tall. Yesterday, I noticed for the
first time tiny (1/4" or so) black with a yellow band caterpillars on my
Dill.

Should I pick them off? How much damage will they do?

I wouldn't mind have more butterflys, but not at the expense of dill.

Tim

"The words of the songue should have three gatekeepers:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?"
-Arab proverb

Ann wrote:
Charlie expounded:


I'm curious. Maybe I'm the only one to have done this. I smell a lot
of things, I mean I sniff things.

The Black Swallowtail catepillars, when gently touched, poke out their
antennae, or whatever they are called,

It's called an osmeterium, and all swallowtails have one.


get all kinds of defensive and
leave a smell on your finger that is really .......pungent.

The reason that they get defensive is because the wasps that want to
parasitize them like to lay their eggs on the back of the caterpillar's
head, where it can't reach around and pick the parasite egg off. The
osmeterium (the orange forked organ) is on the back of the caterpillar's
head where it has the best shot of deterring the wasps with its pungent
parsley fart. In my experience it's not a very effective way to deter
wasps. Unless I find the pillars by the 2nd instar, latest, when they
still look like a tiny bit of bird poop, there's almost no chance that a
wasp hasn't got to it. I found one in my parsley and put it in a bug box
with as much food as it wanted. It's pupating now. Should be out in a
week or two. Then, after a photo op, I will release it, of course.



Have you done this, and does the Anise Swallowtail react (and smell)
this way?

Care
Charlie


I was wrong. I found smaller ones that look exactly like the younger
ones on the Black Swallowtail page. So I can't tell you if they smell
or react like the Anise Swallowtail. Sorry!

But I do enjoy them! G

In article , EV wrote:

Ann wrote:
Charlie expounded:


I'm curious. Maybe I'm the only one to have done this. I smell a lot
of things, I mean I sniff things.

The Black Swallowtail catepillars, when gently touched, poke out their
antennae, or whatever they are called,

It's called an osmeterium, and all swallowtails have one.


get all kinds of defensive and
leave a smell on your finger that is really .......pungent.

The reason that they get defensive is because the wasps that want to
parasitize them like to lay their eggs on the back of the caterpillar's
head, where it can't reach around and pick the parasite egg off. The
osmeterium (the orange forked organ) is on the back of the caterpillar's
head where it has the best shot of deterring the wasps with its pungent
parsley fart. In my experience it's not a very effective way to deter
wasps. Unless I find the pillars by the 2nd instar, latest, when they
still look like a tiny bit of bird poop, there's almost no chance that a
wasp hasn't got to it. I found one in my parsley and put it in a bug box
with as much food as it wanted. It's pupating now. Should be out in a
week or two. Then, after a photo op, I will release it, of course.


Hope it hatches for you!

Any chance at controlling the wasps in your area?
You can get wasp traps!
--
Peace, Om

Remove _ to validate e-mails.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson