Velvet Bean Caterpillar is Here

I’ve seen a few Velvetbean Caterpillars (VBC) in peanuts this week and I got a call from a consultant who saw some in soybeans today.  They seem to be here a little early this year so we need to be aware of it.  VBC’s have 4 sets of abdominal prolegs and a pair of anal prolegs that point out almost. They are easy to confuse with Green Cloverworms but they have just 3 sets of abdominal prolegs. They wriggle like crazy whem you touch them. Often their head is a little more orangy.

Some of the chemistry we use for other caterpillars doesn’t control them so check before spraying.  The late soybeans we are now planting need to be scouted carefully for this and other pests such as Beet Armyworms as soon as they emerge.  In the photo below there is a VBC and a Southern Armyworm found in peanuts.

VBC on left, armyworm on right.