Angle shades moth

What is angle shades moth?

The adult moth is not a pest. It is its caterpillars that cause problems by eating foliage and flower buds.

Symptoms

The caterpillars of this moth can cause damage to plants at all times of the year.

• Holes are eaten in the foliage and flowers, including unopened flower buds, especially on chrysanthemums
• Young growth at the tips of shoots is particularly favoured
• The caterpillars are up to 45mm long (1 3/4in)  and vary in colour from brownish yellow to bright green
• They hide during the day, emerging to feed at night

Control

Non-chemical control

Torch-light inspections of damaged plants on mild nights will reveal caterpillars that can be removed by hand.

Chemical control

If infestations are too heavy for hand picking, control can be achieved by spraying at dusk with deltamethrin (Bayer Sprayday Greenfly Killer), lambda cyhalothrin (Westland Plant Rescue Fruit & Vegetable Bug Killer) or pyrethrum (Py Spray Garden Insect Killer) . The older caterpillars are more tolerant of pesticides than young larvae.

Download

Pesticides for gardeners (Adobe Acrobat pdf document outlining pesticides available to gardeners)

Biology

• The angle shades moth has two generations a year
• Eggs are laid on a wide range of wild and cultivated plants in late May to June and August to October
• Larvae of the second generation overwinter and can feed whenever night temperatures are above 5ºC (41ºF)
• They pupate in the soil when fully grown