The adult moth has white fore wings bearing brownish markings and streaks, and the white hind wings

1
Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar
The adult moth has white fore wings bearing
brownish markings and streaks, and the white hind
wings have black spots. There is a yellow band on
the head and a yellow steak along the anterior
margin of the fore wings. Moth emergence occurs
in waves following rains.
Red hairy caterpillar Moth
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Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar

• Cream or bright yellow eggs are laid in masses on
  the lower surfaces of leaves.
• The eggs may also be laid on the soil, stones,
  bits of wood, and on other vegetation.
• Eggs are laid in clusters of 50-100. A moth can
  lay up to 2300 eggs.

Egg mass of red hairy caterpillar
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Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar
Crop damage The dark hairy larvae feed
gregariously on the lower surface of leaves,
scrapping them for 4 or 5 days. After about 10
days larvae become ashy-brown and move slowly
from plant to plant, and field to field, feeding
voraciously.
4
Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar
Crop damage In about 40-50 days the larvae
become fully grown. They are about 5 cm long and
have white spots on the body, dense tufts of long
hair, and a red head. The larvae, which often
occurs in large numbers, are voracious leaf
feeders.
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Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar

• Management
• Plowing the field during summer, and collection
  and destruction of egg masses may help in
  reducing pest population.
• Hand picking of larvae, and collection and
  destruction of egg masses are effective in
  reducing the larval population.
• Use of light traps soon after the monsoon for
  20-45 days, and collecting and killing of adult
  moths are effective.

6
Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar

• Management
• Migrating larvae of hairy caterpillar from one
  field to another can be checked by digging
  trenches across the direction of their march, and
  destroy them.
• Distribute small balls of poison bait in the
  field preferably during evenings. The poison bait
  is prepared by mixing 10 kg rice bran,1 kg
  jaggery and one liter Quinolphos.
• Note Take care to see that livestock and
  children do not eat the poison bait.

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Lesson 4 Red-headed Hairy Caterpillar

• Management
• Dusting of Carbaryl or Quinolphos at 25-30 kg/ha
  controls young larvae.
• Use of 200 ml Dichlorovos 100 EC dissolved in 400
  liters of water/ha may be used to control grown
  up caterpillars. Or,
• Spray Endosulphan 2 ml or Dimethiate 2 ml or
  Monocrotophos 1.6 ml/liter of water.

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Module 2 Foliage Pests
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics
Modules
Exercise
Lessons

With this, the Lesson 4 on Red-headed Hairy
Caterpillar in Sorghum, and also this Module on
Foliage Pests in Sorghum concludes. If you want
to check your understanding on about foliage
pests in sorghum, please click on Exercise
button given above. The subsequent Modules in
this course deal with the other insect pests that
attack sorghum crop. Click Modules button
and select Module 3
Course on Insect Pests of Sorghum