How to get rid of caterpillars

[kforyourtime]

This is the first spring we've had with these caterpillars. And they are literally everywhere, I removed about 20 from 2m² area! 

Any tips in getting rid of them? They are just in the grass in the front and backyard. I'm in SE Vic

 

[Jason]

Hi @kforyourtime,

Welcome to Workshop. 

What are the caterpillars eating? And where are you based? It might help members identify them and suggest remedies.

Feel free to post anytime you need a hand with a project around the house and garden. We look forward to reading more about your projects and plans soon.

Jason

[kforyourtime]

They are just in the grass in the front and backyard. I'm in SE Vic

[Jason]

Thanks for the clarification.

Let me tag a couple of resident horticulturalists in @Adam_W and @Noelle for you. 

I will be interested to see if the approach is different to tackling army worms, which we have discussed on Workshop previously here - https://www.workshop.com.au/t5/Garden/Help-I-have-lawn-grubs/m-p/14757

Jason

[Adam_W]

Hi @kforyourtime it's amazing how fast these critters can do so serious damage to your lawn...
The typical army worm is much smoother so I'm not sure what one this is but damage is damage.
I would be leaning towards a treatment such as eco-neem. It is pricey for a small bottle but it's very concentrated so will go a long way.
The way it works - basically it stops the grubs eating as soon as they consume some of it - means it's going to have an immediate impact. It's also extremely low toxicity so the sort of option we want in the home garden.
The other option is to physically remove them, work over area by area but this may not be effective or practical if you've a large lawn.

As an aside I would recommend putting gloves on when handling any of the hairies as many can cause irritation.
Hope this helps.

[Noelle]

Completely agree with Adam_W and his recommendation of eco-neem. It should do the trick but you may need to repeat the treatment in a couple of weeks to 'catch' any further caterpillars that hatch in the meantime.

[Former Workshop member]

This isn't the usual lawn grub. I'd try and get an ID on them first - if it's something endangered, I'd be willing to sacrifice the lawn's looks for a year - but then, I've never seen a caterpillar in that type of form that eats grass - the ones that look like this usually feed on trees and shrubs, however I'm not an entomological expert, lol.

Sometimes you get these insect explosions. One year, we had the small black crickets - all through the house, the pantry, the knicker drawers... try picking crickets out of your undies at 2am before heading out to work! Then another year it was the same with lady beetles - all through everything, alive and dead. Then it was big vegetable weevils, another year, then click-bugs, lol.
Good luck!
Thankfully we never had the stink bug explosion!