Castor spiny caterpillar: Ergolis merione

Symptoms of damage:

• Cause defoliation 

Identification of the pest:

• Larva: green coloured, spiny caterpillar with yellow stripe on the dorsal region
• Adult: brown butterfly with black wavy lines on the wings

Management:

• To control early stage larvae, spray neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5% or spray chlorpyriphos 2.5ml or quinolphos 2ml or neem oil 5ml/ litre of water