Ok. I know everyone love the orange butterflies that love to lay its eggs on the passion vines, the ones that have orange caterpillars with black tufts of 'fur/spines'? Sorry i cant spell the name of that butterfly. But its caterpillars are defoliating my vine. It isnt big enough to loose so much of its leaves. It HAD so many blooms when I planted it, only 2 months ago. It WAS growing like a weed, it was so pretty. Now it looks like it has been through a windstorm,the leaves look like Swiss cheese, no buds or blooms in sight, and it looks like it is barely growing.

The moment any new growth is on the vine, it is covered in tiny baby caterpillars. SO, it is either control these caterpillars, or pull up the vine.

I know most people are against pesticides, and say,'let the caterpillars eat the vine and turn into the pretty butterflies'. Well...there is almost no vine left!

So..can someone please tell me what CHEMICAL I can spray on the passion vine, I think this variety is fairly sturdy,not a very dainty one, what can I spray on it to control the caterpillars?

A FEW is ok..but hundreds of them is to much!

And 'Safers Soap' isn't cutting it. BT isnt working. I need to know if Malathion or some other chemical will work and not kill the vine in the process. I have tried to be 'ECO-friendly' to no avail, ...well now its time for the big guns.

PLEASE help. Once the vine is bigger and can handle SOME caterpillars, I will let it be a feeding site. BUT right now, it is on the edge of life or death. So, what can I use?