How To Use This Problems Section
The chart is organized to give you a quick and dirty summary of the possible symptoms that you may encounter. Those problem causes for which we have full files will be linked to those files. Those causes with no link will have a paragraph below the chart helping you deal with that particular problem.
| Problems of Dill | |
|---|---|
| Symptom | Probable Cause |
| Leaves Eaten | Parsleyworms |
| Leaves Damaged or Eaten | Tomato Hornworms |
| Foliage Curls, Puckers, TurnsYellow | Aphids |
Leaves Eaten by Parsleyworms
Parsleyworms are large, strikingly colored 2 inch caterpillars. Green with yellow-dotted black bands across each segment, they emit an odor and project orange horns when startled. They feed on dill foliage, often until only the stems remain.
Before destroying a parsleyworm, be aware that it is the larvae of the black swallowtail butterfly. To preserve it and your dill move it to a member of the parsley family that you can spare, such as carrot, parsley, parsnips or the common weeds, wild carrot or Queen Anne’s Lace.
Parsleyworms are easy to spot in the early morning, handpick, drop into a plastic bag and discard in the trash. Control bad infestations with Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. Dust or spray foliage surfaces so that feeding caterpillars will ingest it. They will sicken, stop eating and die in a day or two. Because Bt washes off with rain, use it again if the caterpillars are still active.
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