Banana leaf roller (banana skipper)
Leaf edges are cut and rolled into tubes, each with a caterpillar covered in white powder inside.
Crops it attacks
Where the damage shows
When to act
Each week walk 20 mats per block and count fresh leaf rolls with a live caterpillar inside. Act when fresh rolls show on many plants, while the caterpillars are still small. Old torn leaves with empty rolls need nothing.
What to spray
Active ingredients only, never brands. The IRAC group tells how it works: switch to a different group next time, so the pest does not learn to survive it. Spray only when the damage is worth the cost, and only with products registered with the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority for your crop. Follow the label. The Shopee and Lazada links only show who sells something with that active ingredient, not a recommendation of any seller or product.
How to prevent it
- Pick off and crush the leaf rolls with the caterpillar or pupa inside. On small farms this is often enough.
- Cut off and burn badly rolled and torn leaf parts, and remove old dry leaves where pupae hide.
- Check young plants and suckers every week, since big caterpillars strip a leaf to the midrib in days.
- Keep the plantation weeded and desuckered so leaves are easy to see and reach.
Natural enemies and biological help
- Egg wasps (Ooencyrtus), larval wasps (Cotesia) and Brachymeria parasitize the skipper. Broad sprays kill them.
- Bt sprays on the fresh rolls kill young caterpillars and spare these wasps.
Not sure it is this one?
Many pests look alike. Send a photo to Anee, the smart farm technician in anee.io. She reads it with your crop, its age and the weather, and tells you what it most likely is and what to do first. In Tagalog or English.