Twig Wilter

The Twig Wilter (Carlisis wahlbergi)

So today my Blog entry will be on a common pest known in South Africa and Australia as Twig wilters

These insects are fairly large in size (about 2-3 cm in length) and accumulate in very large numbers on specific plants in gardens (Up to 9000 have been found on one Gardenia) They feed on over 200 types of plants and there are thousands of variations of this family. They have sucking and piercing mouth parts to pierce the branch of a tree and inject enzymes that wilt the tip of a branch, they then feed on the digested matter.

Because of their large numbers it can make it very hard to control them. Not only that, but they release a foul smelling odour when disturbed, this fluid can be sprayed up to 15 centimetres away. It also stains your skin, turning it a dark brown and makes it smell of that odour for up to a week.

This specific Twig Wilter is Carlisis wahlbergi, the usual colouration is tan with dark brown stripes, but like all insect families, there are different colours, This one is a dark brown, going on black. It was among many found on my Gardenia. (The gardenia is one of the few that isn't damaged by these Twig wilters, it just doesn't flower. Normally you'd want to remove them immediately when you see them. But on the Gardenia, they are fine.)



Under the wings this guy had a bright red colouration.



This is an immature specimen of the same insect (looks very different doesn't it? He'll grow wings soon). Note the pretty patterns and colours on this baby, don't be fooled though, these things are quite foul.



And this last picture is of the stains that the defensive chemicals these insects spray can give you. (I wasn't too badly stained this time, the stains can get a lot darker than that)


I hope you found this blog post interesting, until next time, Simon out!