01 April 2024, New Delhi: Bark-eating caterpillar is an important pest of Guava. Its occurrence could be noticed by the presence of elongated zigzag ribbon-like messy web or galleries made by fragments of bark pieces & excreta with silk, near the fork or angles of the stem or branches. If you remove the web, you can see a small bore hole in the angle of the thick branches and may find the larva inside. The larva feeds on the bark and inside it breaks the vessels of nutrition.
In case of severe attack, the tree dies as the sap movement is blocked. The life cycle is annual with one generation per year. The incidence will be high from December to March. The fully grown larva is about 4 cm long with pale brown to brown, smooth-skinned with hard patches on the segments.
Management Of Bark-Eating Caterpillar in Guava
1. Keeping the orchard clean and avoiding overcrowding of trees will help to minimize the attack of pests.
2. Probing the galleries and inserting an iron spike into the bore hole to kill the larva.
