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Black & white caterpillar with yellow/orange legs (Dogwood sawfly)

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Dogwood sawfly
by: Moni

Kristine
This caterpillar is the larvae of the dogwood sawfly, which is in the wasp order of insects. You must have a dogwood tree or shrub nearby?

When the larvae are small they are covered with a white waxy coating then as they mature you see the colors like yours. They feed on all the different dogwoods and can cause significant defoliation. The larvae overwinter as pupa in rotting wood.
The adults are wasp-like sawflies that emerge in late spring to early summer. They then lay eggs on the undersides of the leaves. There is one generation per year.
For control if you only have a few you can hand pick and destroy the larva. They are controlled in nature by parasitic wasps. However, if damage to the plant foliage is to the point of defoliating the plant before the larvae size reaches 1" long then horticultural oil or insecticidal soap may be applied.
Here are photos of the other stages of this insect.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/68065/bgimage

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