I have planted a little cherry about a month ago. The tree seems
healthy, only in the last couple of days I noticed several tiny
(4-6mm) green caterpillars (if that is what they are), happily chewing
away some of the new leaves. Some even smaller black spots /dots are
always very close to the area that is being eaten.
These worms seem to like being snug either in a new leaf that still
has to unfold, or in between two adjacent leaves stuck together.
So far the damage to the tree is very small, however, like they say,
better safe than sorry. :-)


TIA,
Luca
zone 6b

Luca expounded:

I have planted a little cherry about a month ago. The tree seems
healthy, only in the last couple of days I noticed several tiny
(4-6mm) green caterpillars (if that is what they are), happily chewing
away some of the new leaves. Some even smaller black spots /dots are
always very close to the area that is being eaten.
These worms seem to like being snug either in a new leaf that still
has to unfold, or in between two adjacent leaves stuck together.
So far the damage to the tree is very small, however, like they say,
better safe than sorry. :-)

Get thee to a store quickly and buy some BT spray (it's bacterium
thuringensis (sp?) a biotoxin that'll give the little canker worms a
stomach ache and kill them). Spray every two weeks for three or four
cycles. If you don't, they'll strip your poor little tree bare within
days.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

Luca wrote:

I have planted a little cherry about a month ago. The tree seems
healthy, only in the last couple of days I noticed several tiny
(4-6mm) green caterpillars (if that is what they are), happily chewing
away some of the new leaves. Some even smaller black spots /dots are
always very close to the area that is being eaten.

Caterpillar poop.

These worms seem to like being snug either in a new leaf that still
has to unfold, or in between two adjacent leaves stuck together.
So far the damage to the tree is very small, however, like they say,
better safe than sorry.

Hand pluck the infested leaves off, then hose off any
caterpillars that are wandering around. On a mature tree they
don't do much damage, but it's just a baby.

Tsu

--
To doubt everything or to believe everything
are two equally convenient solutions; both
dispense with the necessity of reflection.
- Jules Henri Poincaré

Luca wrote in message . ..
I have planted a little cherry about a month ago. The tree seems
healthy, only in the last couple of days I noticed several tiny
(4-6mm) green caterpillars (if that is what they are), happily chewing
away some of the new leaves. Some even smaller black spots /dots are
always very close to the area that is being eaten.
These worms seem to like being snug either in a new leaf that still
has to unfold, or in between two adjacent leaves stuck together.
So far the damage to the tree is very small, however, like they say,
better safe than sorry. :-)


TIA,
Luca
zone 6b

How much defoliation are you seeing?
Why not just pinch the worms you see.
Soon the wasps and birds will find the ones you have missed.
I doubt it will take more than 5 minutes twice a week.

Or you could go the other route and kill everything that moves.
Buy pesticides in quantities you will never need.

I would say that about 15-20% of the leaves are affected, maybe 5% are
in pretty rough shape. I hand picked all the caterpillars I could
see, however they are not that easy to spot.

From what I am learning on this newsgroup, I would definetely like to
avoid using pesticides, providing I can solve the problem otherwise.


Luca


On 25 Apr 2003 07:04:40 -0700, (Beecrofter) wrote:

Luca wrote in message . ..
I have planted a little cherry about a month ago. The tree seems
healthy, only in the last couple of days I noticed several tiny
(4-6mm) green caterpillars (if that is what they are), happily chewing
away some of the new leaves. Some even smaller black spots /dots are
always very close to the area that is being eaten.
These worms seem to like being snug either in a new leaf that still
has to unfold, or in between two adjacent leaves stuck together.
So far the damage to the tree is very small, however, like they say,
better safe than sorry. :-)


TIA,
Luca
zone 6b

How much defoliation are you seeing?
Why not just pinch the worms you see.
Soon the wasps and birds will find the ones you have missed.
I doubt it will take more than 5 minutes twice a week.

Or you could go the other route and kill everything that moves.
Buy pesticides in quantities you will never need.