Pests in garden - Ask Extension
I have an infestation of woms/caterpillars (they are white and about 1 inch) that have eaten the leaves on 2 plants twice this year.. These plants wer...
Knowledgebase
Pests in garden #946863
Asked October 10, 2026, 11:25 AM EDT
I have an infestation of woms/caterpillars (they are white and about 1 inch) that have eaten the leaves on 2 plants twice this year.. These plants were ones that have been my garden for years and I have not had problems before. I tried picking them off in August (there were hundreds) and trimed the plants back. When the plant grew back so did the worms/caterpillars. How can i rid the garden of this pest? the; worms/caterpillars have not attacked other plants.
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
They are probably sawflies. They can eat a whole plant. Some saw flies only eat one type of plant so it would be helpful to know what plants are being eaten. A few photos would be very helpful if photos can be provided they should be in sharp focus, a close up and a whole body view is very useful.
