Hairy Caterpillar in Sorghum

The adult moths have brown forewings with dark scales. The hind wings are yellow. Spherical transparent white eggs are laid in masses (6 to 24 eggs in each) and covered by orange-yellow hairs.

The newly hatched caterpillars have the habit of grouping together that continues in the mature caterpillars. The hairy caterpillar is dark brown with a wide yellow band. An orange-red line runs along the yellow band.

The caterpillar stage lasts 15 to 40 days.

Crop damage

The caterpillars infest the sorghum head in large numbers and feed hardening grains. But, in spite of the large number found in the earhead, the damage caused to the grain is not much.

Management

The damage is minor and so rarely requires any control measur