what can i use on my oleander bush to get rid of the caterpillars?

Answer 1

Leave them alone, they turn into butterflys. Do you want to disturb the cycle of life?

Answer 2

The first response you got is not as snarky as it first seems. Some caterpillars that live on Nerium Oleander aren't so horrible.

Is it a light orange caterpillar with silver spots and mostly brown hairs? If so, it's not a problem to your plant and you can leave them alone. As othere here have said, oleander is poisonous so you are wise to not mess with it if you can get away with ignoring it.

Is it a dark orange caterpillar with black hairs? Then you will probably want to spray BT if it's been only a few days, but spray poison if longer because this critter may devastate your plant in just a week.

Answer 3

This is a very toxic bush I am surprised you have pests. you can spray an organic product called BT which is short for a long name I can not pronounce let alone spell. It is made by Safer it is in a concentrate form. It kill all the caterpillars and cut worms while leaving the worms in the soil alone. Ask you at you local nursery for it. P.S. When you work with the oleander be sure to wear gloves, and a face mask.

Answer 4

Bt is Bacillus thuringensis.....it paralyzes caterpillar guts. So it takes awhile to work. They starve. Anything eating the caterpillars will not be harmed.

Dipel is another brand. Unfortunately Bt can be light sensitive depending on the manufacturer, to be safe, spray in late afternoon when sunlight is fading. Less UV rays to cause problems. Hint; add one drop of dishwashing soap to the mix to help the stuff stay on the plant.

Answer 5

Do you know how lethal this bush is? The sap can kill a human. Be very careful with it.