Facts

• Moth and butterfly caterpillars are known orange tree pests. The caterpillars feed on the leaves and fruit of the orange tree.
  
  

Types

• The caterpillar of the giant swallowtail butterfly is known as an orangedog. The citrus leafminers lay their eggs on the leaves of orange trees and citrus peelminers lay their eggs on the fruit of the orange tree.
  
  

Identification

• Leafminers tunnel in the leaves of citrus trees and leave a feces trail observable as a thin line in the tunnel. Peelminers tunnel just below the surface of the fruit, blemishing the skin of the orange. Orangedogs are identified by their resemblance to bird droppings.
  
  

Effects

• Older trees can usually withstand an infestation from any of the three caterpillars. However, orangedogs and leafminer caterpillars can cause the death of young trees because of leaf damage. The blemishes on oranges resulting from peelminers cause economic losses.
  
  

Solutions

• Orangedog populations are kept under control by natural predators and are considered minor pests of orange trees. Biological control methods for leafminers have proved to be the most effective method in keeping the population at acceptable levels. Peelminers are controlled with insecticides.