Porina Caterpillar

21 Oct, 2021

Wiseana spp. Porina caterpillars feed on lawns, pasture grass, and clover, causing bare patches and an increased incidence of flat weeds. The adult moth is a fat brown moth that at times flies around people at night. In spring and summer they can lay over a hundred eggs. After hatching the caterpillars will burrow into the soil, forming small tunnels that can be spotted if you look closely, and will then emerge at night to feed on the grass and clover leaves.

Sometimes confused with Grass grub. However Porina feed differently (grass grub eat the roots not the leaves), are easy to treat, and the dug out soil and droppings around the tunnels are normally covered with a fine webbing and castings from digging.

Prevention

Reduce outdoor lighting in spring so as not to attract the moths.


Apply Lawn Pro Protect to the lawn you wish to protect from Porina. Best applied in late spring to late autumn.

Natural Treatment

If they are only present in a small area cultivating the soil can help expose the bugs to predators.


Sprinkle Neem Granules over the affected area. Can be used to both treat the problem and as a preventative.

Other Treatment

If they are only present in a small area cultivating the soil can help expose the bugs to predators.


Sprinkle Neem Granules over the affected area. Can be used to both treat the problem and as a preventative.


Add Lawn Pro Protect to the lawn you wish to treat from Porina. Best used from spring to late autumn. The granules must be waterde in well, so sprinkle before moderate to heavy rain or irrigate after treatment applying 10mm of water to the area.

Porina Caterpillar photographed by Dalin Brown. Used under the terms of a [CC-BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) license.

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