:: Smellfield Agriclinic

Hairy caterpillars: Eupterote cardamomi, E. canarica, E. fabia

> These appear sporadically in enormous populations at intervals of several years and cause heavy damage to the foliage.
> Caterpillars are gregarious in habit and they congregate on the trunks of shade trees during day time and drop down on the cardamom plants during night time.
>They fed voraciously on leaves and defoliating the whole cardamom plants.
>Usually the damage is observed during October-December

E. cardamomi

>Eggs: Dome shaped and lay on undersurface of the leaves of shade trees.
> Larva: Robust, bluish black with pale brown head, white hairs and dorsal conical tuff of hairs.
> Pupa: Pupation takes place in soil
>Adult: Large moth, pale yellow with wavy lines and a series of spots near the outer margin of wings

E. canaraica

> Eggs: Pale yellowish in colour and lays on the undersurface of the leaves of shade trees.
> Larva: Robust with red head and black ‘V’ shaped vertex border.
> Pupa: Pupation takes place in soil
> Adult: Large moth brownish yellow with two diagonal bunds and zig zag lines on wings.

E. fabia

> Larva: Robust, dark purplish brown with black head, grey tipped long hairs and red prologs.
> Pupa: Pupation takes place on dried leaves
> Adult: Large bright yellow moth with prominent black wavy lines and patches on wings.

> Hairy caterpillar incidence can be checked by lopping off and burning branches of shade trees in which eggs are laid.
> Gradual elimination of shade trees favoured for egg laying will reduce the incidence.
> Caterpillars that congregate at the base of shade trees can be collected and killed.
> Moths can be attracted to light during night and by installing light traps, the moths can be collected and killed.
> Spray methyl parathion or monocrotophos or quinalphos 3ml/lit