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The different kinds of caterpillars and moths look alike, but there certainly are differences. In table below you will find the features of the most common caterpillars and moths in horticulture.

Species	Caterpillar	Moth	Crop*
Turkey “Golden twin-spot” moth	- Green with white stripe on the side - 2 pairs of prolegs	- Brown with white spot on the front wings - 35 mm - Hairy	Tomato, pepper, cucumber, eggplant, chrysanthemum, rose
Tuta absoluta	- Yellow-green with pink rug - 9 mm	- Gray-brown - 6 mm	Tomato, pepper, eggplant
Bright-line brown-eye	- Green to brown with brown head - 4 pairs of prolegs	- Brown-gray with thin white line - 35 mm	Tomato, pepper, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, cut flowers (mainly chrysanthemum), woody crops
Cabbage moth	- First yellow, later green to brown-black	- Gray-brown to black with white-edged spot - 45 mm	Tomato, pepper, lettuce, carnation, chrysanthemum
Beet armyworm	- Yellow-green to dark green - 4 pairs of prolegs - Body keeps straight while walking	- Gray-brown with yellow spots - 15 mm	Ornamental (mainly chrysanthemum, gerbera, rose, bouvardia, pot plants)
Silver-y moth	- Yellow-green with light line on the side and dark stripe on the back - Hairy - 2 pairs of prolegs	- Dark gray with gamma-spot - Hairy crest - 35 mm	Ornamental, chrysanthemum, pepper, eggplant, lettuce, boon, cabbage
Cabbage leaf roller	- Brown to black with light line on the side - Maximum 25 mm	- Yellow ochre with dark band on the wings - 11 mm	Ornamental (mainly gerbera, alstroemeria, rose, azalea,  cyclamen and kalanchoe)
Carnation leaf-roller	- Green with light-brown to black head - Maximum 20 mm	- Orange-brown with dark pattern - Orange rear wings - Maximum 17 mm	Ornamental and pot plant
Duponchelia fovealis	- White with brown shells and dark head - 20 - 30 mm	- Brown with meandering white line - 9 - 12 mm	Ornamental, pepper

* these are the crops in which the caterpillars occur most often, but they could also occur in other crops.
** This table can best be viewed on desktop mode.

The caterpillars of butterflies and moths damage plants as they scuff the leaf surface at the bottom of the leaf, due to which transparent spots appear. In case of young caterpillars of butterflies or moths damage is limited, but larger ones will spread out more and cause gradually bigger holes in the leaf. In addition, the significant quantity of excrement of caterpillars of butterflies or moths pollutes the crop.

Controlling caterpillars of butterflies or moths can be done by use of different natural enemies, including parasitic wasps. You can also make use of catch lamps or pheremone traps. Read more about pheromone traps in this article. 

Controlling caterpillars, butterflies and moths using chemicals has become more difficult in recent years. This is due to the limited supply of chemical agents. One way to apply a chemical agent is through space treatment, but spraying is most effective for controlling caterpillars. A caterpillar has 3 to 10 stages and the first stages are the most sensitive to chemicals. Therefore, try to apply chemicals against the young caterpillars. Caterpillars are often located on the underside of the leaves. Therefore, choose a spraying technique that hits the underside of the leaf to best hit the pest. 

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