Budworms

Have your petunias, geraniums, or million bells stopped blooming? Inspect the buds. If there are holes, budworms are the likely cause. Budworms are small caterpillars that are generally green but can be red or brown depending on the color of the flowers they’re feeding on. They often go unnoticed as the caterpillars hide under the foliage or inside the flower bud during the day. Budworms can also affect perennials such as coneflowers, where they will eat the middle of the seedheads. The adult is an unassuming brown moth with waving lighter lines on its wings. It overwinters as a pupa near foundations or inside pots brought in for the winter.

Budworms are best controlled by a product containing Spinosad such as Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew, a Permethrin product such as Hi-Yield’s Indoor and Outdoor, or a Bifenthrin product such as Hi-Yield’s Bug Blaster 2.4.

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