Infestation of Caterpillars on Box Hedge
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Our village has an infestation of green caterpillars on all box hedges. These are now not just on the hedges but climbing up the outside of our homes. I have spent the last three days picking off hundreds of the damn things. We have sliced off the top and sides of hedges and covered in bug spray. Hopefully we have done enough to save our hedge. We have also ordered a moth trap. Anyone else having issues with these little buggers ?
Yes 2 years ago there was a national plague which wiped out many box hedges. My beautiful 15yr hedge never recovered and was chopped down, my neighbours around me too. Xentari is the treatment you need. Hopefully you have caught it in time! GL
TheSorceror I have read about Xentari and it’s only recently be given a uk license to use it. Hopefully I am on top of them now.
Please don't use chemicals to kill them. Other animals eat them and then get poisoned. Caterpillars may be annoying but we need them and the moths and butterfly's they turn into
Jerseydrew I have literally picked off hundreds of the things. There are crawling up the bungalows in our road and walk along the paths. Unfortunately with so many we need to do what we need to do, they are killing all the box hedges. The bug sprays generally don’t kill other animals even if they eat the caterpillars. Most the ones the collected from the hedge are now squashed and disposed off.
I had two large round box trees until they were eaten by caterpillars. The local garden centre advised us the cut them and put all clippings in large plastic bags and store them for months before taking to the waste centre.
We get these on our box hedge, last year was very bad but not noticed them back again yet this year, some of my neighbours completely lost their hedges.
Dipel or Lepinox applied regularly.Organic and effective.Thyme plants or nematodes work as well.
MelissaLee1 I have read up on nematodes. Haven’t heard about thyme plants so will definitely search that. We are keeping on top of them but unfortunately one of my neighbours isn’t. We are hoping to see her gardener on Friday.
eyeballkerry Best of luck with that.I'm an organic gardener and hate killing things but I kinda get it.We had an invasion of spanish slugs a few years ago.So big you could saddle em up and ride em out of town lol.
These we’re pretty big ones in St Kitts but the biggest I have seen were in the Kenya and they called them the Mombasa express and grow up to 15 inches, although not caterpillars they are millipedes.
These are the giant millipedes in Kenya. We actually had one in our room one night. We were told they wouldn’t harm you but I didn’t like them.
I only have the one green caterpillar I'm sorry to say. He has taken up residence on the side of my day bed and as squished as he has been over the last month or so he doesn't look any the worse for it. 
EmmaWright762 Loving your caterpillar but once you have spent three days picking off caterpillars from a hedge you start to feel very itchy.
Jinky67 Unfortunately the caterpillars are killing all the box hedges. We have had literally hundreds of these caterpillars. Not only do they cover the whole of the hedge and destroy it but they are crawling all over the outside walls so much so we have to keep our windows shut. The box hedge is full of poison which don’t kill these caterpillars but many birds will not eat them as they know they are bad for them.
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