Started a few months ago, did a quick Google and figured it might? Be ermine moths? But then it said the webs would start to disappear in later summer (July onwards) but it is still very much there and spreading! I don't wanna kill the moth if its just going to affect the one bush but if it might hurt my kale and cucumber we are at war! It's already starting to setup in my kale netting and I'm scared 😨.
by SoyabeanLemonTea
2 Comments
I think if they wanted your veggies they’ll have already had them! They’re on their food plant and have been there for months, since they were eggs, they will have shed their skins several times by now as they grow, in the next week or so you may see them leaving the plant to go walkabout, this is when they are looking for somewhere to pupate, they usually have stopped feeding by then.They tend to bury themselves in the soil, pupate then emerge as moths.
This is *Cotoneaster horizontalis* or one of the similar species (no thorns, ‘herringbone’ branches) and the moths are *Athrips rancidella* or *Scythropia crataegella*.
Both will only eat things like cotoneaster, hawthorns and very close relatives. The kale and cucumber should be fine.