little worms in the dill

[flowerbug]

first time i've seen them when i was out picking dill right before dark so i could get the pickles made.

made for a longer time of the process having to inspect each bit of dill.

yes, pests for sure!

will have to read up on what they might be when they grow up so i can keep an eye out for them.

ugh, so far can't find any specific pictures of these little worms on the dill, but cut worm (non-specific) seems to be it.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Might be black swallowtail catterpillars - the early stages are dark but they change as they get larger.

Plant some fennel in the back for them. They turn into beautiful butterflies!

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-polyxenes

 

[flowerbug]

Might be black swallowtail catterpillars - the early stages are dark but they change as they get larger.

Plant some fennel in the back for them. They turn into beautiful butterflies!

https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Papilio-polyxenes

i looked, but i don't think they're the right kind and the size is tiny and so many...

the problem is likely because i planted them right next to some mulch/detritus from last year and they are apple tree saplings so maybe these are codling moth larvae. hmm...

these pull the flowers inwards/together into clumps and then they are inside that feeding. little tiny worms. not big and unlikely to be the swallowtails.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Neither of those sound right. I usually have the Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my dill and parsley, I have some on dill right now. Those don't swarm, just a very few at a time. So if you have "so many", nope. Cutworms don't swarm either, they are individuals, but I think your "cut worm" was more a description than thinking they were actually one of the many varieties of cutworms.

Are they too small for a photo? A quick search suggested maybe army worms?

 

[flowerbug]

Neither of those sound right. I usually have the Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars on my dill and parsley, I have some on dill right now. Those don't swarm, just a very few at a time. So if you have "so many", nope. Cutworms don't swarm either, they are individuals, but I think your "cut worm" was more a description than thinking they were actually one of the many varieties of cutworms.

Are they too small for a photo? A quick search suggested maybe army worms?

my camera is broken (i might be able to use it to get a picture but it would mean
somehow i have to hold the battery in by hand and set all the settings and still be able to snap a picture and hold it long enough for the picture to make it on the memory chip). um, not too likely but i may try it some day...

they are pretty small (1x3mm are the smallest, the larger ones are about a quarter inch). not swarming particularly, but each in their own clump of flowers which they pull together and hide in the middle.

and yes, cutworm was the generic term used on the place i saw something that looked like one the most.

i had to just get out and cut some more dill for the last few quarts of dill pickles i have to make this afternoon. i trimmed off all the heads that looked like they had bugs in them and tossed them off to the side to roast in the heat/sun. we'll see if those are mobile enough to get back to the plants or not. in the fall i'll make sure all that gets buried. there were no worms on the dill patch that is off about 50ft from the first patch. hopefully the plants will regrow well enough to give me enough dill, i still need enough to get me through at least another 50 quarts...

 

[flowerbug]

looks like a purple carrot seed moth worm.

 

[digitS']

Well, that doesn't sound so good.

http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/2018/07/23/purple-carrot-seed-moth/

... a new invasive species!

There was a rabbit hiding in the carrots, this morning. It's such a cliche but I don't remember having noticed any rabbit damage to carrots. Lost several bean plants the last few days. Noticed that!

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

Well, that doesn't sound so good.

http://labs.russell.wisc.edu/insectlab/2018/07/23/purple-carrot-seed-moth/

... a new invasive species!

There was a rabbit hiding in the carrots, this morning. It's such a cliche but I don't remember having noticed any rabbit damage to carrots. Lost several bean plants the last few days. Noticed that!

Steve

they don't kill the plant and hardly damage it from what i can tell, but they make the heads that i like to use in the dill pickle making impossible to use. have to go out and pick some more for tonight's batch soon as it cools off a little bit more.

they pull the flowers together and hide in the middle of that so you have to look closely at each flower head to make sure they're not in there and the worms are pretty small at first...

at least the younger flowers are not affected...

i wonder if any other bug will eat them... doesn't appear that the ladybugs do much that i can see.

 

[PhilaGardener]

Not another new pest Sorry

 

[flowerbug]

our current world is dumb and going to continually being faced with such things all for the love of making a $.

stupid stupid stupid...