Observation date: June 04, 2022
Submitted by: netrubicon
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Hello!
Purchased a Split Leaf Monstra. Bought it home, transplanted and put in kitchen. 3 weeks later, today I notice hundreds of small caterpillars and a single small moth. Not sure if it is invasive or good bad?
Status: Resident
Verified by: BarbSendelbach
Verified date: June 04, 2022
Coordinator notes: Not invasive. Caterpillars generally feed on stored grain, grain products, clover hay, and alfalfa hay. They are a pest of stored grain and grain products throughout the world. You can sometimes find them in your flour or rice in your cupboards or bird seed packages if you feed birds or have pet birds. I don't ever suggest killing insects as they are beneficial. If possible, try to knock them/pick them off into something they will eat and place them outdoors in a sheltered area. YOU WANT TO GET THEM OUT OF YOUR HOUSE ASAP! It's kind of odd that they were at a nursery on a house plant. Unfortunately, many insects (often invasive/foreign) transfer that way. Good luck!
