I think that all brugs are susceptible to the same insects. Sucking insects like aphids, mealy bugs and white fly. They are also a favorite of the tomato and tobacco hornworms as well as those little green caterpillars. You have to have an incredibly bad infestation to actually kill a plant. Even if you strip the foliage during the growing season it will grow back. A hornworm can defoliate a good sized plant in a day. They are hard to see and usually the only indication that you have them is when the leaves disappear and you see their frass around the base of the plant. I happen to like hornworms so I grow some plants, usually tomatoes, just for them. I pick them off my "good" plants and stick them on their plants. They turn into sphinx moths and those are one of the main brug pollinators.
Karyn

Are hornworms the gross fat green ones? I hope I never see one or get them on any of my plants. I don't mind some bugs, but all caterpillars and spiders make me sick to my stomach! The only caterpillar I can stand to look at is the furry ones that are banded in wide bands of brown and black, and also the striped ones that are brown/black/yellow that eat milkweed and turn into Orange monarch butterflies. Their cocoons are cool...green with a gold edge. Still, I couldn't touch either one with bare hands.

Karyn

I had the green cats bad last year- they were getting inside the buds and eating the flowers- yikes, you should have seen me out there, pulling them off and stomping them. I got so made at one point I was squishing them with my fingers- disgusting!!!!

I agree, brugs can outgrow lots of pests, once they are outside in the sun and warm temps!

Brenda

Those little bitty green cats are awful. They are so well camouflaged and are so destructive. I pick them off and toss them into the field. Even though I don't like them I can't bring myself to kill them. lol
Karyn

They can sure do a lot of damage in just a little time. This one had to taste each flower {{gwi:465272}}

That pic is so disgusting! Those things better not pay a visit to my brugs!

Awwwwww! It's so cute!! :) Nice & clear pic too! (and yes - they are VERY destructive!) I'm like Karyn though - I can't kill them either!

Mike

Hey you Mr. grossness goober guy - GET GONE!

Bleck - I hope I don't have those. Are those just regular worms? Or do they create a crysylis and become a flying insect?

If they do, what do they become?

Bugs - geez do I have issues with bugs. . . . .just can't cope.

Dweeb I think someone said those turn into the sphinx moths. I am not that attached to those moths to have to look at these worms before they turn into the moths. I don't think I could kill'em by squishing...gross...but maybe with a spray or something. I wonder if these even live in my zone as I have never seen one on a tomato plant?

I think they are beautiful and the moth they turn into is so cool. They are a destructive beast though. Mine go through a ton of tomato plants every summer. The one I don't like is the Catalpa worm. I get them by the thousands and their frass rains down and covers my deck. It's so gross. They will completely defoliate my Catalpa tree sometimes twice in a season.
Karyn

I think it's beautiful, I wouldn't kill it, but I would definately pick it off and relocate it somewhere else.

Ewwww. I used to pick up the monster slugs in CA and hurl them into the ravine.

Nasty. Especially the snot trails they'd leave all over the side of the house. nasty nasty nasty.

Sphinx moth? The ones that are attracted to the moon vines, right? And Brugs?

He's cool lookin..like an alien, lol. I like caterpillars. I can't kill them, I relocate, but only if I reeally feel like I have to. I think they are so cool. Last year when at Lowe's MIL and 8yr old DD saw a Wooly Bear on one of the plants, so MIL bought it just for the caterpillar, lol. Of course they both wound up at my house. They turn into the tiger moths.

lol Dweeb, I wanna know what the hell is in slug slime that makes it damn near impossible to wash off your hands. Gotta use GOJO just to get that crap off. I like the leopard slugs, they are huge. The only thing I hate about slugs..besides them eating my plants is when you step on them in your bare feet..in between your toes, UGH! THAT's just nasty!!!
Daniella

B. Shorty's Variegated is the only Brugmansia that we have found that don't attrack the nasty critters. One year we did find some small green cats on her which surprised us but they weren't chewing much like they do on the others. A little dusting and they stop eating.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who grows a few plants just for the Horned Cat! I also have a section in the yard for snails. Share the growth of the garden and everyone seems happy including the birds!! My main problem is aphids and white fly. When the weather gets really hot and dry here that's when they come up. However, right now (cool and "damp")I'm fighting aphids and losing the battle!!! Still only Isabella hosting them. All the other Brugs are just standing around looking smug!!! ;0) Gloria

I hear ya Gloria. Those whiteflies are so dang hard to det rid of . Everytime I think I have them whipped, I look and they are again covering my variegated brug that I am overwintering. Aphids too but not as bad. Then the mites joined the party, so I finally worked up the courage to defoliate. Well, it looks like the mites found thier way to my cuttings in another room, and I also seen 1or 2 whiteflies that I squished immediately. I think I am going to be defoliating my cuttings soon, after they've not had a problem this far :(

Pagrdner:

Yea, that does happen. I read the mites travel on your hands and clothes. So once you've handled one group with mites, you need to be very careful about moving to another group.

I just keep using the forbid. I seem to have a handle on it now. (thank goodness!)

Annette: Glad to hear you're starting to win the Mite War!!! lol. You certainly did battle for a looong time! Hope all is well with you. I've got a couple of new Brugs that I think you will like. I hope they grow big enough to share this summer. If not Def. next year!!! Talk to ya soon. Gloria

Wow, new ones? Whatja get?

Still in a freeze hold here. . .grrrrrrrrr. . .getting tired of it!

Sooooo, whatdja get? Whatdja get?

Those of us in warmer climates deal with year round bugs. I just call the plants "BUGmansia". I have snails-millions & millions & the little bitty baby snails really love brugs, and they are so tiny you can't find them, can't spray. Whiteflies, mealy bugs, aphids, WEBWORMS! and much, much more. I don't use pesticides at all. Over the years the good and bad bugs have kind of balanced out. I fight the webworms but not much else. The plants are amazing, they keep right on growing & blooming. They were a little strange looking last month, not a leaf one but tons of blooms.
Tally HO!

Annette: Finally got an Adeline! Also have: Painted Lady, NOL, Golden Lady, Wretched Mess, Miss E Mac., Xena, Mrs. Chambers I, French Connection, Cotton Candy, Jean Pasko, Cherrokki (sp), Double Peach, Cherub, Super Nova, Cypress Garden, Rafaella, Vari. Peach, SunRay, Kell's Girlie Girl, Island Girl, Rosa Traum (small cutting), Cream sickle, Jaimie, Peaches/Cream, Snow Bank, Adora, Santa Rosa, Strawberry Creme, Chas, G., Friendship DNK, Coral, Whiskers, Butterfly, Pink Beauty, Ecuador Pink, Rosa Uberschong (sp) Frosty Pink, and a few more new ones I can't remember right now. Lots of Noids (healthy buggers!!!)Most of these have not bloomed or "Y"ed yet. So I don't know when they'll be ready to cut. But I owe ya!!! Later, Gloria

Annette: Finally got an Adeline! Also have: Painted Lady, NOL, Golden Lady, Wretched Mess, Miss E Mac., Xena, Mrs. Chambers I, French Connection, Cotton Candy, Jean Pasko, Cherrokki (sp), Double Peach, Cherub, Super Nova, Cypress Garden, Rafaella, Vari. Peach, SunRay, Kell's Girlie Girl, Island Girl, Rosa Traum (small cutting), Cream sickle, Jaimie, Peaches/Cream, Snow Bank, Adora, Santa Rosa, Strawberry Creme, Chas, G., Friendship DNK, Coral, Whiskers, Butterfly, Pink Beauty, Ecuador Pink, Rosa Uberschong (sp) Frosty Pink, and a few more new ones I can't remember right now. Lots of Noids (healthy buggers!!!)Most of these have not bloomed or "Y"ed yet. So I don't know when they'll be ready to cut. But I owe ya!!! Later, Gloria

Gloria, I'll take a cutting of each, lol. Wow for a newbie you sure have lots of brugs. I may catch up to ya if I keep looking at Seedsprout and Country Garden.

Gloria you have a nice variety there. It took me 8 years before I had a collection even close to that! lol
Karyn

Wow! Thanks so much for the compliments and encouragement. I've been feeling so bad because I lost SOO
many cuttings this year. Really had a difficult time trying to root them. Was beginning to think I had no knack for these wonderful plants. Beginning to realize that all cuttings are not equal and, yes, there is a good time of year to root.
These are still fairly small and young, not bloomed yet, but look healthy and growing. Thanks for all the advice over the last year. Gloria

Whoaaaaaaaaaa Gloria, you've been a very busy bruggy momma!

LOL. . holy smokes! I cannot WAIT to see your pictures!

Fantastic! Got a spot where you're going to be grouping them?

I'm going to be mass ordering myself. Plants! Country garden and seed sprout. There's a few I lost and I want replaced. . . .grrrrrrrrrrr. . .but I'm gonna order plants.

What an amazing collection you have there lady! Just amazing!

Hey Annette: I'm there with you. Saving for buying plants except for the cuttings I get from our friends here on the forum. Those seem to root better than the E-bay ones!!! (grin) Don't want to have another season like this past one with all the cuttings I bought, including the BOB set-ups followed by massive Brug funerals ;0( Just planted some B. Sanguinia seeds ... now that should be something to behold if I can get them to grow!!! Gloria