this eucalyptus odorata (peppermint gum) up the road opposite a neighbours place is being destroyed by these case moths. i have planted 6 of these indigenous trees so i have an interest in the fate of this gum.
pepper said:
this eucalyptus odorata (peppermint gum) up the road opposite a neighbours place is being destroyed by these case moths. i have planted 6 of these indigenous trees so i have an interest in the fate of this gum.
Lucky1 said:
pepper said:
this eucalyptus odorata (peppermint gum) up the road opposite a neighbours place is being destroyed by these case moths. i have planted 6 of these indigenous trees so i have an interest in the fate of this gum.
What in the hell does a case moth do, that can destroy a tree??? Boy I hope your trees don’t suffer from them.
the caterpillars ate all the leaves.
the tree had to be under stress – drought, heat off bitumen – maybe sick soil.
i don’t know but i was shocked to fine a local native so badly effected.
Lucky1 said:
pepper said:
this eucalyptus odorata (peppermint gum) up the road opposite a neighbours place is being destroyed by these case moths. i have planted 6 of these indigenous trees so i have an interest in the fate of this gum.
Well, they have to eat Lucky, so if there’s enough of them it’s goodbye tree.
What in the hell does a case moth do, that can destroy a tree??? Boy I hope your trees don’t suffer from them.
Good point there Bubba:) Thanks Peps
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Have you checked if the tree is actually dead Pepp? It’s not very often that things that eat leaves can totally kill a tree. Just a thought.
pomolo said:
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Have you checked if the tree is actually dead Pepp? It’s not very often that things that eat leaves can totally kill a tree. Just a thought.
I couldn’t read the full thread. It won’t come up for me. I think I managed to see them all though.
pomolo said:
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Have you checked if the tree is actually dead Pepp? It’s not very often that things that eat leaves can totally kill a tree. Just a thought.
its not dead – just devastated. mine are fine. but i will view the case moth with a bit of respect in future.
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
In some species the female never leaves the bag and waits for a male to come calling.
Bubba Louie said:
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
In some species the female never leaves the bag and waits for a male to come calling.
I wanna come back in the next life as a case moth.
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Wow I never knew a caterpillar could take that long…..
Lucky1 said:
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Wow I never knew a caterpillar could take that long…..
update – newsflash on the case
there are thousands of the case moths on the bare part of the tree (three quarters of it). most of them will now die because they move with their cases and the only remaining limb with leaves is too far away. some of the young ones with small cases might make the switch. apparently the local wasp is capable of attacking them.
we have some on the dining table with a vase full of fresh leaves and they are moving about – an inch a day.
Does this what the cocoons look like??
If yes, its been tears since I have seen these.
its the same species – a bit different in appearance
pepper said:
its the same species – a bit different in appearance
I am having trouble getting my head round the whole case moth and the tree….. I am amazed by what I am reading.
Lucky1 said:
Does this what the cocoons look like??If yes, its been tears since I have seen these.
There’s a few different ones Luck, but any of them are only a problem in big numbers.
There’s a few different ones Luck, but any of them are only a problem in big numbers.
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Thanks Bubba…
pepper said:
Lucky1 said:
pepper said:
apparently the caterpillar lives in the case. it comes out the top to feed and has a toilet hole in the bottom. it takes several years to pupate.
Wow I never knew a caterpillar could take that long…..
Keep us posted Pepe. Where will you come by more food for them though?
update – newsflash on the case
there are thousands of the case moths on the bare part of the tree (three quarters of it). most of them will now die because they move with their cases and the only remaining limb with leaves is too far away. some of the young ones with small cases might make the switch. apparently the local wasp is capable of attacking them.
we have some on the dining table with a vase full of fresh leaves and they are moving about – an inch a day.
Keep us posted Pepe. Where will you come by more food for them though?
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thanks for the interest.
peppermint gum is the local gum – so no shortage of leaves
ms peps will prolly take them to school as a study project – i hope the kids are half as interested as you lot.
me thinks its got somethink to do with the sorry state of the tree in the image… this kind of infestation can often be defended by a healthy tree.
in the moth case – the tree continues to be devastated. the moths can move much faster than i thought and have easily reached new green growth. the tree continues to regrow some moths die some move to greener tree parts.
they ate my Cassia, but it has come back…
pain master said:
they ate my Cassia, but it has come back…
yeah i had a sense of the tree surviving – once we get rain.
there’s a wattle bird in the middle of the second photo that flew down and ate one of the half dead moths while i was there. so there’s a subplot to the case.